This is the story of a girl, a day that left no time for cooking, and a meal that demanded way too much time in the kitchen. I left the house just after 10 in the morning to volunteer at an involvement fair on campus. Straight from there, I drove home for a doctor’s appointment. I managed to fit some study time in there. Straight after the appointment, I drove another 40 minutes back to school. Oh yeah, and it was torrentially downpouring. And there was construction on the highway. I walked through the door of my apartment at 8pm, cracked open my cookbook, and realized that this Eggplant Marinara Pasta that I had picked out for that night was no quickie. So I did what any tired, hungry person would do in this situation – I took shortcuts. I didn’t measure, I didn’t wait for things to roast or cool, and I didn’t really do much of anything the recipe told me to do. I burned some of the ingredients, too.
But in just 20 minutes, I had a piping hot bowl of food in front of me, and even if I was still tired, I at least wasn’t hungry anymore.
And when I took my last bite, I stood up, walked back into the kitchen, and started baking a cake for L’s birthday.
Yeah. It was a long day.
At least the meal was enjoyable, never mind the fact that it’s a far cry from how Rachael Ray intended it. This is another solid recipe from her cookbook. Allowing the eggplant to roast fully (as I didn’t) would probably add a depth of flavor, but I certainly liked it a lot the way I made it. It was comforting and filling, but it did make a strange amount of food. Granted, I did a lot of pouring and dumping of food into skillets, and not a lot of measuring, so maybe I just made a whole lot more food than I should have. Still, I think this more appropriately serves 6 than 4, especially if you add in sides like a salad or crusty bread.
Sicilian Eggplant Marinara over Penne, courtesy of Rachael Ray’s Classic 30 Minute Meals
Yield: 6 servings
The Ingredients
1 pound penne rigate
1 medium eggplant
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large cloves garlic
fresh parsley, to taste
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
20 leaves fresh basil (or roughly 2 teaspoons dried)
grated parmesan or asiago cheese, for topping
warm, crusty bread, for dipping (optional)
The “Real” Method
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, set a pot of water to boil for the pasta, adding in the penne once it reaches a rolling boil. Cook until al dente, then drain.
Cut a few slits down one side of the egg plant and place the eggplant, slit side up, directly onto the oven rack. Roast for 20 minutes then set aside to cool before gently removing the skin (this should pull away easily with the help of a sharp knife). Add the eggplant to a food processor and blend into a paste.
Heat a skillet over medium or medium-high heat. Add to it the garlic and olive oil, cooking until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the eggplant paste and season with pepper before also adding in the parsley, tomatoes, and basil. Allow the sauce to heat through before tossing with the pasta and topping with the grated cheese. Serve alongside crusty bread, a side salad, or just a big fork!
The Method, a la Floptimism
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, set a pot of water to boil for the pasta, adding in the penne once it reaches a rolling boil. Cook until al dente, then drain.
Cut a few slits down one side of the egg plant and place the eggplant, slit side up, directly onto the oven rack. Start to roast the eggplant.
Turn your attention to the sauce. Heat a skillet over medium or medium-high heat. Add to it the garlic and olive oil, cooking until the garlic begins to sizzle. Accidentally burn the garlic.
Give up on the eggplant; remove from the oven. Don’t wait for it to cool, don’t bother with the food processor, don’t even take the time to peel it (the skin is healthy, anyway!) – just chop it up as finely as you can, and dump it into the skillet with the garlic. Season with pepper before also adding in the parsley, tomatoes, and basil. Allow the sauce to heat through before tossing with the pasta and topping with the grated cheese. Serve alongside crusty bread (also burnt) and a big fork.
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