When ripe tomatoes are abundant, roasting them for salsa to toss with pasta is one of the most rewarding meals you can have. Add some richly browned eggplant from the farmers market, a generous douse of aged garnishing cheese and a handful of cilantro and the dish soars to even greater heights. Because we can all lay our hands on decent fire-roasted tomatoes in a can when farmers' market tomatoes aren't around, this is a recipe that can be made year-round. Make this roasted tomato salsa recipe first.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- A medium eggplant (about 14 ounces and 2 ½ to 3 inches in diameter), cut into 1-inch pieces
- Salt
- 8 ounces dried pasta
- 2 cups Roasted Tomato Salsa (recipe link above)
- About 1/2 cup freshly grated Mexican queso añejo or other garnishing cheese such as Romano or Parmesan
- Several tablespoons chopped cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the eggplant. In a very large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high, heat enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, pat the eggplant dry with paper towels and add to the pan in a single layer. When it's richly browned on one side, stir the eggplant and brown the other sides, 6 to 8 minutes total. Season the eggplant with salt.
Cook the pasta. While the eggplant is cooking, in a medium pot, bring salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid.
Make the sauce. Spoon the salsa over the eggplant and immediately reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring regularly. The eggplant will coast to perfect doneness and the tomato sauce will thicken in about 2 minutes.
Finish the dish. Stir the pasta into the sauce along with about ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water and a few tablespoons of the queso. Add more water, a little at a time, to adjust the consistency of the sauce, if you’d like. Taste and season with salt, then serve. This is best when served with several tablespoons chopped cilantro and a generous sprinkling of queso.
