Penne with provencal eggplant & sweet peppe
6 Servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Medium-size eggplants | |
| 1 | cup | Olive oil |
| Salt | ||
| 2 | Medium-size onions, sliced | |
| 3 | Sweet bell peppers | |
| 4 | Cloves garlic, minced | |
| Fresh ground black pepper | ||
| ¼ | cup | Fresh squeezed lemon juice |
| 2 | teaspoons | Dried herbes de provence |
| 1 | pounds | Penne |
| 1½ | cup | Firm-pack chop fresh basil |
| Few fresh basil leaves | ||
Directions
PREP: Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes; do not peel. Use red, green or gold sweet bell peppers, or a mixture; slice thin. 1. Place eggplant cubes in a shallow baking pan, toss with ½ cup olive oil, sprinkle with salt to taste, and bake in a 400 degree F oven until cubes are soft but still hold their shape, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. 2. Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large heavy frying pan.
Add onions and sweet peppers and cook over very low heat until vegetables are quite tender and slightly caramelized, about 35-45 minutes. Stir in garlic and salt and pepper to taste; cook 5 minutes longer. 3. Combine the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, lemon juice, herbes de provence, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk and reserve.
4. Cook penne in 4 quarts boiling water until very al dente. Drain and rinse well in cold water, then drain again. With a sharp knife, diagonally slice each piece of pasta in half crosswise. Toss in a large bowl with onion mixture and reserved dressing. 5. Toss eggplant cubes and chopped basil with pasta. Garnish with basil leaves. Serves 6 to 8 as first course; 10 to 12 as a salad.