Week 7: Penne Pasta with Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella + "Sweating" Your Eggplant

Chef Liz Arraj
 
Serves 4

1/2 lb. penne pasta (1⁄2 box)
2 TBSP. olive oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1 1⁄4 lb.) cubed
1/2 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 lb. mozzarella, cubed
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the eggplant. Cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Cook, tossing, until the tomatoes soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the tomato mixture to the pasta, along with the mozzarella and reserved cooking water. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with the basil.

 
Tasty tip:
Sometimes eggplant are bitter. A neat little trick to rid yourself of bitter eggplant is to simply thinly slice and lay the rounds out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle kosher salt over the eggplant and let sit there for around 10 minutes or until small little bead of liquid appear on the slices of eggplant. Rinse before using them in a dish. This technique is called 'Sweating the Eggplant."