Pasta alla Norma | Caponata | Eggplant with Thai Basil

Storage

Eggplant can be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Recipes

Pasta alla Norma 

• 1 lb. eggplant
• 1-2 lbs. tomatoes, chopped
• 1 head garlic
• canola oil for frying
• olive oil
• a few sprigs fresh basil
• salt & pepper
• 1 lb stubby pasta

Slice the eggplant into ½ inch rounds and fry them over medium high in a wide skillet with ¼ inch of canola or other frying oil. When things get going, the eggplant slices will absorb the oil and you will gradually see it penetrate through to the top.  Make sure that they don’t get too brown on the bottom before this happens.  If the eggplant slices absorb all the oil and still don’t look wet, you must add more—but don’t worry, because they will release much of it as they cook.  When they look like they have absorbed enough oil and they start to get nice and brown on the bottom, flip them over and brown them on the other side.  If the pan is dry at this point, don’t add more oil because the slices have absorbed enough to fry themselves.  When they’re done, drain the slices on paper towels and sprinkle them liberally with salt.  Don’t neglect to taste a few slices now, as eggplant properly fried and meltingly sweet is one of the real delights of summer.  Continue with another batch until all the eggplant is fried.

In the meantime, boil some water for the pasta (penne or rigatoni) and salt it well.  Cook the pasta al dente.  Prepare a simple tomato sauce by sautéing some garlic in olive oil until it just begins to get sticky.  Before it browns, add the chopped tomatoes and cook over high heat about 15 minutes or until the liquid is cooked out.  Salt & pepper to taste and remove from the heat.  Stir in the basil, tearing the leaves right over the pan.  Cut up the mozzarella into cubes.  When the pasta is cooked, add everything to a large bowl and mix well.  Buon appetito! 

Caponata

This recipe was made by our Springfield Farmers' Market Manager Belle Rita as a sample that she gave out to customers featuring seasonal vegetables.  We liked it so much we made it at home twice, and put 5 quarts of it in the freezer for when the dog days of peppers and eggplant are but a distant memory.

• Lots and lots of olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 head garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes or fresh hot peppers, to taste
• 1 pound peppers, cut into large chunks
• 1 pound eggplant, cut into large chunks
• 1 or 2 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
• salt & pepper
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp capers
• 3 Tbsp chopped Kalamata olives
• Few sprigs chopped basil and parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat about 4 Tbsp olive oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven with a lid that can go in the oven. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft.  Add the pepper flakes and peppers and sauté over medium heat 5-10 minutes.  Add eggplant and sauté another several minutes. You may want to add more oil to make sure everything is generously anointed.  Add the tomatoes.  Cover the pot and put it in the oven to bake for 20-30 minutes.  Everything should be very, very soft.  Season with salt, pepper and the other seasonings.  Adjust sweetness, salt and acidity to taste.  Serve it warm on fresh crusty bread or at room temperature the next day.  Makes a great pasta sauce, too. (The original version contains chunks of celery, too.  If you like celery, you can add it when you add the tomatoes.)

Eggplant with Thai Basil

• 1 lb eggplant, cut into ½-inch slices
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 medium sized fresh red or green chilies (or sweet bell pepper for the meek)
• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce or tamari
• 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar
• 1 bunch Thai basil

Coat a large fry pan with about ¼ inch of oil and carefully fry the eggplant in batches, following the procedure described in Pasta alla Norma, above.  Meanwhile, cut the garlic into slices and the chilies into diagonal rings.  When the eggplant is ready, remove it and add 2 Tbsp of fresh oil to the pan, add the garlic and half the chilies, and stir-fry until the garlic is golden.  Add the soy sauces and sugar, stir for about 30 seconds until the sugar starts to bubble, and return the eggplant to the pan.  Add torn basil leaves, stir and serve, garnished with the rest of the chilies (if you dare!)