Eggplant Pasta - Herbal Colorful Pasta

I think almost people knew pasta but I’m sure that just some people know all types of pasta that’s about 600 types and shapes of it. One way to make pasta for my healthy meal is cooking with some vegetable and I choose eggplant for today.


Photo: gwarcita

Many countries like Italy, Japan, Spain and India etc. use eggplant as the ingredient for many dishes because it’s so yummy and agree with variety of food. If you don’t know about the benefit of it, I’d like to tell you some more. For example, eggplant helps to block the formation of free radicals and is also a source of folic acid and potassium.

Kitchenware
- Large saucepan
- Large bowl
- Paper towel
- Dish

Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 1/8 teaspoon of pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of basil
- 1 pkg. pasta, any kind
- 1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato puree
- 1/2 cup of olive oil

Preparation

1. Prepare pasta as directed on package and drain well.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan with medium temperature.
3. Place the flour in a large bowl and add the eggplant cubes to the flour and toss being sure to cover each cube well.
4. Take the floured eggplant in the hot oil. Cook about 6 minutes or until lightly brown. Then, drain the cooked eggplant on paper towel.
5. Add the onion to the oil. Cook about 5 minutes or until beginning to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and the tomato puree.
6. Add the pepper, sugar, salt and basil. Boil the mixture.
7. Continue boiling and stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
   Add the eggplant and cover the pan. Continue cooking 18 minutes or until the eggplant is tender.
8. Serve over cooked pasta.

Photo: thehealthyhag.wordpress.com

The eggplant is used in cuisines from Japan to Spain. It is often stewed, as in the French ratatouille, the Italian melanzane alla parmigiana, the Greek moussaka, Middle-Eastern and South Asian dishes. It may also be roasted in its skin until charred, so that the pulp can be removed and blended with other ingredients such as lemon, tahini, and garlic, as in the Middle Eastern dish baba ghanoush and the similar Greek dish melitzanosalata or the Indian dishes of Baigan Bhartha or Gojju. In Iranian cuisine, it can be blended with whey kashk e-bademjan, tomatoes mirza ghasemi or made into stew khoresh-e-bademjan. It can be sliced, battered, and deep-fried, then served with various sauces which may be based on yoghurt, tahini, or tamarind. Grilled and mashed eggplant mixed with onions, tomatoes, and spices makes the Indian dish baingan ka bhartha. The eggplant can also be stuffed with meat, rice, or other fillings and then baked. In the Caucasus, for example, it is fried and stuffed with walnut paste to make nigvziani badrijani.