Region: Italy
Category: Pasta with Vegetables
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but takes non-working time
This is a very flavorful dish that is excellent before or with grilled lamb loin chops and a home grown heirloom tomato sliced on top of young arugula dressed with only olive oil and salt. For small chiles, see if your market sells the small Thai chiles.
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 50 minutes
1 1/4 pound eggplant, peeled and diced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
10 very small fresh red or green chiles or 2 dried red chiles
3/4 pound baby spinach leaves
3/4 pound spaghetti
6 tablespoons ground roasted almonds
1. Lay the eggplant pieces on some paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Leave them to drain of their bitter juices for 30 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat with the garlic and chiles. Once the garlic is turning light brown remove and discard it but leave the chiles, then cook the eggplant until golden brown, tossing and turning occasionally, about 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the spinach and cook until it wilts, about 4 minutes. Turn the heat off.
3. Meanwhile, for every pound of pasta, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat, salt abundantly with up to 1/2 cup of salt, then add the pasta in handfuls. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick together, until al dente. Drain without rinsing.
Transfer the pasta the skillet and toss with the eggplant and spinach, remove and discard the dried chiles (but you can leave the fresh ones). Sprinkle on the almonds, toss, and serve.
Posted: 12/26/2006
