Eggplant Caramelle with Tomato Confit Recipe
Eggplant Caramelle with Tomato Confit
Serves 4
1/2 of a globe eggplant
Olive oil
Salt
1/2 cup ricotta
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano
Black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup basil and mint, roughly chopped
Ricotta salata for serving
To make the filling, cut the eggplant into wedges, toss with olive oil and salt, and roast at 350 degrees until tender. While the eggplant is roasting, place the ricotta into a strainer lined with cheesecloth and let the cheese drain. Once the eggplant is tender when poked with a knife, remove it from the oven and let cool. Remove the skin and chop the eggplant until it’s very fine, almost a paste.
In a bowl, combine the eggplant, ricotta, Parmigiano, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
To shape the pasta, roll out the dough and cut it into squares. Put a teaspoon of filling on each square, in the middle of the bottom edge. Roll the pasta and pinch the dough on either side of the filling to seal. Twist the ends so they look like little candies.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for about 2 minutes. Over a medium flame, add the butter to a sauté pan, along with one confited tomato and a few spoons of the olive oil. Add the cooked pasta, along with a few tablespoons of pasta water. Simmer as you swirl the pan until the liquid becomes an emulsified sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.
Top each bowl with fresh tomato confit and olive oil, the herbs, and shavings of ricotta salata.
Green Pasta Dough
3/4 cup egg yolks, plus 1 whole egg
1/2 bunch of picked parsley
1 1/2 cups 00 flour
1/2 cup semolina
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt
Blend the eggs with the picked parsley until smooth. This will color the dough bright green.
Combine the flour, semolina and salt in a bowl and pour it out onto your countertop. Create a well in the middle, pour in the blended egg and oil. Using a fork, slowly whisk the eggs, incorporating more flour as you go. Alternatively, you can do this on low in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment by slowly pouring in the egg. Be sure to slowly incorporate the flour into the egg so you can create a smooth, even dough. Once the flour is mostly all mixed in, use your hands to knead the dough until you have a mostly smooth and even ball, roughly 5 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes to allow the flour to fully hydrate and the gluten to relax.
Tomato Confit
12 whole, medium sized tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 sprigs of basil
1 cup olive oil
Sea salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To peel the tomatoes, first remove the core and score an “x” in the bottom of each tomato. Blanch the tomatoes quickly in boiling water and shock them in ice water to stop the cooking. Use a paring knife to remove the skin. In a shallow, small baking dish, scatter the sliced garlic and the sprigs of basil. Choose a dish that will tightly hold the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes, core down and sprinkle with salt. Leave the tomatoes to absorb the seasoning for about 5 minutes before adding the olive oil. The olive oil should come up about 3/4 of the way over the tomato. Cook them in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the tomato. Baste them periodically with the oil so the tops don’t dry out. The tomatoes are done when they feel tender when poked with a knife, but should confidently hold their shape. The extra oil from this recipe is delicious in a salad dressing or tossed on vegetables before roasting.