RV Cooking: Pasta with Eggplant and Tomatoes
08-13-2015
Author: Blog Editor in Diet for a Tiny House
It’s the time of year when good chefs are giddy with so many choices of perfect, ripe in-season produce to choose from. It’s also eggplant season! I love the meaty eggplant: Eggplant Parmesan, grilled and served cold in thin carpaccio-type slices with a little balsamic vinegar, or in Japanese vegetable tempura. Here is one more way to serve it -- this takes less than 30 minutes to put together in your RV or home kitchen. It’s a delicious, filling but light-in-calories pasta dish with eggplant, ripe tomatoes, basil, capers, olives and garlic. Preparing it will fill your kitchen with the redolent aromas of romantic Italy.
If you can find a local farmer’s market, pick up these ingredients there:
The larger farmers markets often have freshly made artisan pasta and olives if you are lucky enough to be near one. You’ll also meet the people who grow the food -- plus they will appreciate your support. Serve this dish al fresco (outside on your picnic table!) with some fresh bread from a local bakery and/or a green Romaine lettuce salad dressed with nothing but olive oil, sea salt, and a dash of balsamic vinegar. A glass of fantastic dry red table wine would be divine.
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Pasta with Eggplant and Tomatoes
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Serves 2
This recipe requires a sharp knife, cutting board, tongs, vegetable peeler, a pot to boil the pasta, 3 medium sized prep bowls, and a seasoned or nonstick skillet with a lid. You can also use a Dutch oven. This can be prepared on the cooktop of your RV oven or on an outdoor propane camp stove.
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Ingredients
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Instructions
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Start a big pot of water boiling and prep the vegetables as described in the ingredients list. If using fresh tomatoes, cut an X in the bottom of each tomato.
When water is boiling, drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for exactly two minutes. Remove them with tongs to a bowl of cold water.
While tomatoes are cooling, bring the water back to a boil and cook the pasta in the same pot. Check the pasta for doneness by removing a noodle after a few minutes. Fresh pasta cooks a lot faster than dried. Once pasta is done, drain and plunge into remove to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and toss with a little olive oil and set aside.
Tomatoes should be cool now so peel off the skins (they should slip off easily). Holding the tomato by the stem end, squeeze the pulp into the bowl. Mash the tomato pulp briefly with a fork if it is not already falling apart. Add to the tomatoes: the wine, garlic, olives, capers, fresh basil, red pepper flakes to taste, black pepper to taste and sea salt to taste.
In the large skillet (either a good seasoned skillet or a nonstick), heat a couple tablespoons of the olive oil until it shimmers (but not until it smokes) and then saute the eggplant until tender. Try not to overstir the eggplant as it cooks, but move it a few times to prevent burning.
When eggplant is soft (about 10 minutes) add all of the other ingredients to the skillet and put on the lid for 10 more minutes. Turn down the heat to about half.
When you remove the lid, the dish is basically done. Just taste it and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt if needed. If it needs a little sweetness, add a little squirt of honey.
To serve, spoon out a serving of pasta on each plate, add a serving of the eggplant mixture. Top with parsley and have Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, black pepper and sea salt handy for people to add themselves.
Diet for a Tiny House is Copyright 2015 by Wendy Gorski. Write me at [email protected]! Follow me on Twitter for new recipes every week: @DietforaTiny. Mailing address: Wendy Gorski c/o Southeast Publications, 7676-B Peters Road, Plantation, Florida 33324.
About Blog Author Wendy Gorski: I'm a full-time traveler with my husband Nick, and we live in a 2011 Airstream travel trailer. In 2012, we sold our 4,000-square-foot house with its gourmet kitchen and bought our 100-square-foot tiny Airstream house. In this blog, I'll share recipes, tips, thoughts, and experiences as we careen across the country in search of adventure. All my recipes will be primarily plant-based, fast to cook, easy to clean up, and delicious!
If you can find a local farmer’s market, pick up these ingredients there:
- heirloom or other juicy, ripe tomatoes
- an eggplant -- purple or the original white color
- a bottle of virgin olive oil
- a bunch of fresh basil
- a few cloves of garlic
The larger farmers markets often have freshly made artisan pasta and olives if you are lucky enough to be near one. You’ll also meet the people who grow the food -- plus they will appreciate your support. Serve this dish al fresco (outside on your picnic table!) with some fresh bread from a local bakery and/or a green Romaine lettuce salad dressed with nothing but olive oil, sea salt, and a dash of balsamic vinegar. A glass of fantastic dry red table wine would be divine.
--------------------------------
Pasta with Eggplant and Tomatoes
--------------------------------
Serves 2
This recipe requires a sharp knife, cutting board, tongs, vegetable peeler, a pot to boil the pasta, 3 medium sized prep bowls, and a seasoned or nonstick skillet with a lid. You can also use a Dutch oven. This can be prepared on the cooktop of your RV oven or on an outdoor propane camp stove.
-----------
Ingredients
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- 1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch squares
- 3 ripe heirloom tomatoes or a 16 oz. can of fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
- olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dry red wine
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- a handful of olives, sliced thinly
- 1 and a half tablespoons of capers
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced thinly
- red pepper flakes
- black pepper
- sea salt
- 1/2 pound of dried pasta
- honey (optional)
- Parmesan cheese (optional)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions
-----------
Start a big pot of water boiling and prep the vegetables as described in the ingredients list. If using fresh tomatoes, cut an X in the bottom of each tomato.
When water is boiling, drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for exactly two minutes. Remove them with tongs to a bowl of cold water.
While tomatoes are cooling, bring the water back to a boil and cook the pasta in the same pot. Check the pasta for doneness by removing a noodle after a few minutes. Fresh pasta cooks a lot faster than dried. Once pasta is done, drain and plunge into remove to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and toss with a little olive oil and set aside.
Tomatoes should be cool now so peel off the skins (they should slip off easily). Holding the tomato by the stem end, squeeze the pulp into the bowl. Mash the tomato pulp briefly with a fork if it is not already falling apart. Add to the tomatoes: the wine, garlic, olives, capers, fresh basil, red pepper flakes to taste, black pepper to taste and sea salt to taste.
In the large skillet (either a good seasoned skillet or a nonstick), heat a couple tablespoons of the olive oil until it shimmers (but not until it smokes) and then saute the eggplant until tender. Try not to overstir the eggplant as it cooks, but move it a few times to prevent burning.
When eggplant is soft (about 10 minutes) add all of the other ingredients to the skillet and put on the lid for 10 more minutes. Turn down the heat to about half.
When you remove the lid, the dish is basically done. Just taste it and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt if needed. If it needs a little sweetness, add a little squirt of honey.
To serve, spoon out a serving of pasta on each plate, add a serving of the eggplant mixture. Top with parsley and have Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, black pepper and sea salt handy for people to add themselves.
Diet for a Tiny House is Copyright 2015 by Wendy Gorski. Write me at [email protected]! Follow me on Twitter for new recipes every week: @DietforaTiny. Mailing address: Wendy Gorski c/o Southeast Publications, 7676-B Peters Road, Plantation, Florida 33324.
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About Blog Author Wendy Gorski: I'm a full-time traveler with my husband Nick, and we live in a 2011 Airstream travel trailer. In 2012, we sold our 4,000-square-foot house with its gourmet kitchen and bought our 100-square-foot tiny Airstream house. In this blog, I'll share recipes, tips, thoughts, and experiences as we careen across the country in search of adventure. All my recipes will be primarily plant-based, fast to cook, easy to clean up, and delicious!
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