All About Eggplant

What You Need to Know About Eggplant:

RECIPES

Grilled Eggplant, Marinated Tomato & Arugula Salad
(Serves four)

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling the eggplant
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
4 basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 plum tomatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 large or 2 medium Italian eggplants, about 1 1/2 pounds, trimmed and sliced 1/8-inch thick lengthwise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 small bunches arugula, very well washed, dried, any tough stems removed
1 ounce grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

Marinate the tomatoes: In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, the oregano, and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and toss to coat. Let stand at least 45 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours refrigerated.

Salt the eggplant: Salt the eggplant slices with about a teaspoon of salt. Put them in a colander and weight them gently. Let stand in the sink for 45 minutes to an hour. You don't need to rinse the eggplant but do pat it dry with paper towel.

Grill the eggplant: Heat an outdoor grill or a grill pan to medium-high. Brush the eggplant on both side with olive oil and grill for a couple of minutes on both sides; you want the eggplant to brown lightly and just barely crisp around the edges. Cool in a single layer, preferably on a cooling rack, so the eggplant doesn't steam and become mushy.

Dress the greens: In a small bowl, whisk together the other 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and the mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Use some of this vinaigrette to very lightly dress the arugula just before assembling the salad.

To serve: Divide the marinated tomatoes among four large plates. Lay 6 to 8 slices of eggplant on the counter, overlapping them slightly to form a rectangle measuring about 7 inches by 5 inches. Lay a handful of the dressed arugula along the bottom edge of the eggplant and roll the eggplant around the arugula, allowing some of the arugula to peak out at both ends. Repeat until you have four rolls. Either lay one whole roll on each plate or slice each roll in half crosswise and position the halves on top of the tomatoes with their cut side down, two halves per plate. Top with shaved grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Eggplant Caponata
(Makes about 2 1/2 cups)

1 large eggplant (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes to yield about 2 1/2 cups 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for frying the eggplant
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon capers, preferably salt-packed, well rinsed
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups good quality tomato sauce
10 basil leaves cut into a fine julienne
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Salt the eggplant: Put the diced eggplant in a colander and toss with the 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Put the colander in a clean sink, weight the eggplant, and allow the salt to draw out the excess moisture for 30 to 40 minutes.

Make the sauce: Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, capers, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Sauté until the onion is tender and light brown, about 7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, oregano and stir to combine well. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook until the tomato sauce reduces somewhat and the flavors have melded, about 20 minutes.

Fry the eggplant: Pat the salted eggplant dry. Heat over medium-high heat enough olive oil in the bottom of a large, high sided sauté pan to cover by about 1/4-inch. Fry the eggplant in batches, adding just enough of it for one layer with room between the cubes, and stirring occasionally, until well browned and tender, 7 to 10 minutes per batch. Add more oil as needed between batches as eggplant soaks it up like a sponge. To finish: Add the basil to the tomato sauce and stir. Return all of the eggplant to the sauté pan over low heat. Add just enough of the tomato sauce to the eggplant to create a stewy mixture. (Any leftover tomato sauce can be saved and served over pasta.) Taste and season with additional salt if needed. Toss in the pine nuts just before serving.

For more recipes, go to page 2

Eggplant & Taleggio Mezzaluna
(Serves six; makes about 70 mezzaluna total)

For the filling:
1 medium eggplant, cut into a 1/2-inch dice
About 1/4 cup olive oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
5 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cup homemade chicken broth or purchased low-salt chicken broth
4 ounces Taleggio cheese, frozen briefly to make shredding it easier
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Make the filling: Put the eggplant in a strainer, salt it amply, and let it drain for an hour or so. In a deep sided skillet or sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and sauté until lightly browned on the edges. Add the eggplant and thyme, lower the heat to medium, and sweat the eggplant for about 6 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and cook until all of their liquid is released, about 20 minutes Add the chicken stock and partially cover the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is very soft and the mixture is very dry, about 1 hour. (Excess moisture can cause the filled pasta to crack when frozen.) Allow the eggplant mixture to cool to room temperature and then grate the Taleggio into the mix. Add the chopped parsley and toss to combine. (The filling can be made a day ahead of stuffing the pasta; store it, covered, in the fridge.)

Fresh Pasta Dough
3 to 3 1/2 cups "00" flour or unbleached all-purpose flour, more as needed and for flouring
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon olive oil

Mix the dough: On a clean counter, whisk together 3 cups of the flour and the salt. Make a deep and wide well in the center of the flour. (You may not need all of the flour, but the extra helps keep the eggs contained within the well; it's a drag if the eggs escape and run all over.)

Combine the eggs, yolks, and olive oil, in the center of the well and whisk to combine. Without breaking the wall, gradually mix in the flour with a fork a little at a time until the eggs are no longer runny. Stay mainly in the center of the well as you mix. Continue to bring in more and more flour until the dough becomes too stiff to work with a fork. At this point, use you hands to bring in just enough of the remaining flour to make a cohesive mass. When the dough no longer easily absorbs more flour, set the dough aside, scrape the work surface clean of excess flour and dried buts of dough, and wash and dry your hands.

Knead the dough: Lightly re-flour the clean work surface and knead the dough until it's smooth and homogenous, about 5 minutes. You'll know you have added the right amount of flour and kneaded long enough when the dough no longer sticks to a clean finger, and it feels resilient. Wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour before rolling it.

Roll the dough: Take the pasta dough out of the fridge and let it warm up a bit. Get your pasta rolling machine ready with the roller set to the widest setting. Flour your work surface. Cut the pasta dough into 4 pieces. Very lightly flour one piece (cover the rest with plastic wrap) and run it through the pasta machine on the widest setting two times. Fold it in half and run it through again. Fold it in half again and run it through again. Set the machine to the next level of thickness and run the piece of dough through. Lightly flour the dough if it seems sticky during the rolling. If it tears, flour it and repeat a wider setting. Continue rolling the on each successively narrower setting until it's about 1/32 inc thick and you can see the can see the shape of your hand through the sheet (the actual setting will vary by machine). Be sure you have a lot of space as you roll as the pasta sheets will get quite long. You can stack the sheets of dough if you flour them well or cover each in plastic wrap. Repeat this entire process with the remaining three pieces of dough. Use the rolled pasta sheets as directed in the specific recipe.
Note: If a recipe calls for a half batch of pasta dough or less, you can either cut the recipe in half or-the better option in my opinion-make the whole batch and cut the remaining sheets of pasta into fettuccine, papardelle, or tagliatelle. (Use the cutter that came with your pasta roller or use a large, sharp knife.) Wrap the cut pasta loosely around your hand to make a nest and freeze the nests on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once rock solid, you can transfer them to a zip top bag for easier storage in the freezer.

Fill the pasta: Roll the fresh pasta out into very thin sheets following the directions that came with your pasta rolling machine. (You want the sheets thin enough that you can see the outline of your hand though the pasta.). Line a sided baking sheet with parchment paper and flour the paper. With a strip of dough in front of you, very lightly brush some water or the egg wash over the entire piece of dough. Place about a teaspoon of filling at two-inch intervals just a little bit above the middle of the strip. (You can use a pastry bag to do this if that's easier for you; just be sure the opening is big enough to accommodate the pieces of cheese in the filling.) Carefully lift the bottom edge of the strip of dough and bring it to meet the top, letting it fall loosely over the filling. Using the pinky side of each hand, gently pat the area close to each lump of filling to coax out any trapped air. Flour a 2-inch round cutter and stamp out half moon shapes by positioning the folded edge in the center of the circle to result in a nice half circle with the filling approximately centered. As you work, transfer the filled pasta to the parchment lined baking sheet in single layer. (Don't stack them or they will stick together.). Freeze the pasta on the baking sheet until rock solid and then transfer them to freezer bags or some other airtight container for longer storage. (They'll keep, frozen, for up to two weeks.) If you prefer to cook the pasta right away, freeze them for as long as you can so they will be easier to handle.

Cherry Tomato Sauce
(Makes about 1 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup to 1/4 cup chicken broth
6 basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade
1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
Pinch crushed red pepper
Kosher salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan on medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are just soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add a little chicken broth to help create a more sauce-like texture. Add the basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes and season with a little salt. If using right away, reduce to a simmer and keep warm. Otherwise, you can refrigerate the tomatoes and reheat them when you're ready to serve them.

To serve: Gently reheat the Cherry Tomato Sauce, if necessary. Bring a large pot of amply salted water to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook the pasta until just tender. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a very large sauté pan over medium heat. Gently drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the butter. Increase the heat to medium-high and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and about a teaspoon of the chives. Divide the pasta among warm bowls or plates. Top with a ladleful of the tomatoes, some shavings of the Parmigiano, and a tiny sprinkle of chives.