Pasta alle melanzane
When I studied abroad with my friends Loco & Day we all ate to our heart’s content. Baskets of delicious bread dipped in olive oil, fresh pastas, super thin pizzas, and lots of gelato as the weather got warmer. Oh, and loads of wine.
As you can imagine, we all put on a good amount of weight, but it was well worth it. I developed my palate and enjoyed eating my way through Italy.
We ate at so many restaurants in Firenze (Florence), but our favorite (albeit touristic) restaurant was Acqua al Due. We went there every time people visited as they offer assaggi of different courses, giving our guests the chance to taste many types of each course. And a lot of people visited.
Side note: Our apartment might as well have had a rotating door. We had family, friends, friends of friends, and random people from our college stay. I felt sorry for those that had to sleep on our gross couch, but that’s another horrible story. That couch is where I mastered the art of the 7 minute nap while listening to Norah Jones and random Italian artists.
Anyway, Day’s favorite dish from Acqua al Due is the rigatoni alle melanzane. For years I’ve tried to get the recipe from the owner as a birthday present for Day, but for years he has declined. I plan on bringing him a gift from Philadelphia when PB and I head to Italy in March (only 7 weeks away!!!!), but until then I tried to recreate it myself. This version isn’t quite what I was looking for, but it is a magnificent sauce in general. I had not only seconds but thirds, and I caught PB longingly staring at some of the leftovers after his big plate. It is a sauce worth making! Adesso!
Pasta alle melanzane
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 lb of your favorite, sauce catching pasta (ex: rigatoni, penne)
2 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 tbs olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1.5 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes- preferably San Marzano
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
kosher salt to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the cubed eggplant with 2 tbs of the olive oil to coat. Spread on a cookie sheet in one layer and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 25 minutes, shaking the sheet now and again.
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbs of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes.
3. Heat a large pot of water over high heat. Add a sprinkling of salt to the water.
4. When the eggplant is done add it to the sauce. Using a hand stick blender, blend some of the sauce and eggplant together. You want some eggplant chunks remaining, so do not overblend.
5. When the water comes to a boil add your chosen pasta and cook according to the directions on the box. I usually cook it for one minute less because I like my pasta al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Stir together and add the freshly grated parmigiano reggiano. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
P.S. Have you seen my latest Babycenter post?
Josh and I both really want to go to Italy! And oh yes- the conscious eating will go out the door the minute we step into that country! This dish looks FABULOUS. And I hope you get the original (you must promise to share ;)). Tell him we need his food in the US!
Love eggplant- this dish sound wonderful! I’m dynig to get to Italy.
Oh I’m drooling! J have been cravin Italian food like crazy…I love the stuff!
I didn’t have a true appreciation for Italian food until I was in Italy last summer. I can’t think of a better way to explore the country than eat your way through it:-)
This looks SO delicious! I was in Italy last September and I’m still dreaming of the amazing pizzas and pasta dishes. This is a must-make as I love eggplant.
Thanks for the delish recipe! I studied abroad in florence and miss the fresh pasta like none other!!
xoxo
s
I need to go back to italy as soon as possible. can’t wait to hear about your travels!
oh my goodness acqua al due was one of my favorites in firenze. i studied abroad in italy and it was the best time of my life! please tell me you had a blueberry steak at one time? or the basalmic steak?! TO. DIE. FOR!!!!
Omg, I’m so happy I saw this post! It gave me such a happy reminder of my trip to Italy in the summer! I spent some time in Venice, Rome and Florence and my boyfriend and I went to this restaurant while there! I’m seriously so excited you posted about this! We got a recommendation from the lady who owned the hostel we stayed at to go to this restaurant and it was a great choice. Thank you for allowing me to relive my trip!!
Wow Italy in March and S.F. in a couple of weeks! Can’t wait to hear about the trips. We’ve been having spring-like weather here in CA and I hope it holds out for your trip!
Oh my that looks delicious! Life in Italy is sweet, isn’t it?
Major thankies for the blog.