Friday, October 24, 2008

Eggplant Parmesan Rigatoni....



Ingredients
Vegetable oil, for frying (1/2 to 1 cup)
1 eggplant (about 1 pound), thinly sliced crosswise
Flour, for dredging (about 1 cup)
Salt
1 pound rigatoni
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, halved
One 28-ounce can tomatoes
One 8-ounce bag shredded mozzarella
8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Dredge the eggplant slices in the flour, shaking off any excess. Add enough eggplant slices to the skillet to fill it without crowding and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices and more oil. Let cool, then cut into 1/2-inch strips. Set aside. 2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain and return to the pot. 3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes 4. Add the tomato sauce to the cooked pasta and toss to coat, then stir in the mozzarella. Divide the pasta among shallow bowls and top with the reserved eggplant strips, basil and Parmesan.

doesn't that sound yummy?


From Rachael Ray's magazine...




4 comments:

Cristina said...

Oohhhh, that sounds splendidly yummy! I love eggplant. One of my favorite dishes while in China was called Mopu Dofu (Or something like that. It's eggplant and tofu. Oh. So. Good.

Last night I made a quick yellow curry. Five minutes before I left my office I searched for "quick dinner recipes" and the curry came up. It was good, had spinach in it too! A bit bland for my taste though.

Have a good weekend!

Anonymous said...

Uh...yum! Or rather YUM-O, as Rachel would say. I forget about eggplant until I get to a restaurant. I never think of actually making it myself. This recipe looks pretty easy though. Thanks!

christy p said...

Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing!!!

Shelley E said...

you know, I like to make Rachael's stuff because it is so easy- but you really have to use more spices than what she calls for - it tends to be bland if you don't.