Cavatappi Alla Siciliana - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 clove garlic, finely minced
1 young eggplant (12 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and grated* or 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 to 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
2T capers
1/4 cup pitted quartered Kalamata olives
6 oz cavatappi or penne or other short, sturdy pasta
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or pecorino romano cheese for serving

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt generously.

2. Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a large frying pan and sautee eggplant till golden. Remove to a bowl. Add onion and garlic. Over medium heat, cook for about 7 minutes, or until the onion is softened not browned. Stir in the tomatoes, season with s & p and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 min, or until the tomatoes have thickened into a sauce.

3. Sprinkle with the mint, balsamic vinegar, capers and olives and simmer for 5 minutes more. Add the sauteed eggplant.

3. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta in a colander.

4. Transfer the pasta to the frying pan and gently toss the pasta and sauce to combine thoroughly, adding a splash or two of cooking water if necessary to loosen the sauce. Serve with the cheese sprinkled on top.

*Peeling and grating tomatoes works beautifully and produces a lovely fine pulp that requires no additional milling. Here's how to do it: Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with your fingers. Place a box grater over a bowl. Hold the cut side of a tomato flat against the large holes of the grater and grate the tomato, pressing it gently, until only the skin is left in your palm. Continue until you have grated all the tomato halves.