Adam’s been working interstate this week, so I’ve been using his absence as an opportunity to cook meals that’s he’s not so fond of. One of those is pasta melanzana – a favourite solo supper of mine for many years. It’s an easy mid-week meal, that’s vegetarian, quick to assemble and generally provides enough for leftovers for lunch the next day. Its star ingredient is eggplants – a vegetable I love, but that Adam’s rather ambivalent about….
I’ve made few changes to the recipe I use in the time I’ve been making the dish – in fact the bit of paper it’s printed on is now covered in stains and is starting to tear down its middle fold. It’s cheesy and satisfying, yet light. And it’s always gone down resoundingly well with friends who also have an appreciation for aubergines.
What you’ll need
- 30g of dried pasta (the recipe recommends farfelle or bowtie pasta…but I just use whatever’s in the pantry!)
- About 550g of eggplant, peeled and cubed (I find one large and one medium sized eggplant does the trick)
- 60ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 15g of butter
- 90g of baby spinach leaves (I love spinach, so often will double the amount)
- 45ml fresh lemon juice (or say the juice from one medium lemon)
- salt and pepper
- 75g Parmesan cheese
How to do it
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook pasta until al-dente, drain and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large frypan and over medium heat cook the garlic until soft and fragrant. Add in the eggplant, stirring every few minutes for about 10 minutes.
- Add in the spinach and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the pasta, lemon juice and some of the Parmesan.
- Dish up and top with more Parmesan and cracked black pepper.
It’s not the prettiest looking pasta, but it’s absolutely delicious. I find this is a meal best served in big bowls, on the lounge, in your pyjamas ;).
Adam and I are off on a little ‘babymoon’ next week, so I’ll be taking a break from the blog, so I can the most of our time away.
Have a wonderful weekend. x
Wattle and Ash 