Pasta with eggplant

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 360 g pasta, e.g. penne, farfalle, macaroni etc.
• 1 eggplant(s), approx. 300 g
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, cold squeezed
• 2 onions
• 1 stalk(s) celery
• 1 peperoncini, alternatively 1 chili pepper or 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 can tomato(s), chopped, 400 g
• 60 g olives, black, without stones
• 20 g capers
• n. B. Salt
• n. B. Pfeffer
• 12 leaves of basil, can also be omitted
• e.g. Parmesan, freshly grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Pasta con melanzane. A dish from Sicily

Peel the eggplant and cut into 1 cm cubes. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, cover, and fry the eggplant cubes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, finely chop 2 onions and 1 celery stick. Soak 60 g black olives and 20 g capers in water for a few minutes. Deseed and finely chop 1 chili pepper. Once the eggplants have a translucent appearance, remove them and set aside. Add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions, celery stick, and chili pepper. Drain the capers and olives, then halve the olives lengthwise. Once the vegetable mixture in the pan starts to brown, add the tomatoes, the reserved eggplant cubes, olives, and capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente, then drain. Cut the basil leaves into 4 mm wide strips. Thoroughly mix the pasta and basil leaves into the sauce and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Tip: Outdoor-grown eggplants (identified by their elongated shape with a pointed end) need to be drained of their bitterness before use. To do this, place the eggplant cubes in a sieve, sprinkle with salt, and let stand for 1 hour to drain the bitterness. Briefly rinse the eggplants and dry them with kitchen paper. Then steam them. This process is not necessary for greenhouse-grown eggplants.