Pasta Mediterranean Style
Easy, delicious pasta for lunch, or dinner. you can store the leftovers in refrigerators for later use.
Ingredients
- 1 Italian egg plant, cut into 1x4 inch diagonal pieces, lightly salted
- 1 cup button mushrooms, quartered
- 8 ounces angel hair pasta, or thin spaghetti
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes or your choice
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 pitted Kalamata olives
- 1 cup vegetables broth or water
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened,
- ¼ cup parsley, freshly chopped
Instructions
- Remove stalks from mushrooms and cut in halves. Wipe them down thoroughly with a wet cloth. If washed, mushrooms absorb too much water.Pan fry them and set them aside.
- Cut eggplants into 1x4-inhes long, diagonal pieces and pan fry them until tender but not mushy. Set aside to toss in the pasta.
- Boil 4 to 5 cups water in a large saucepan with 1 tablespoon salt.
- When water comes to a boil, add pasta stir and cook for 4 minutes or until al-dente.
- Reserve one cup pasta water, and drain pasta in a colander.
- While you are cooking the pasta, heat oil and butter in a large skillet.
- Add ½ cup onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until onion is soft and cooked down.
- Add tomatoes and let them softened stirring on and off. Crush them partly but maintain their integrity.
- Add tomato paste and cook to caramelize, about a minute Add salt, pepper, and Kalamata olives.
- Add broth or water bring it back to a boil before adding drained pasta to the skillet.
- Stir to coat the pasta with the sauce while still on slow heat.
- Add lemon zest and juice and mix.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and add fried eggplants, grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon softened butter. Mix well and season to taste.
- Scatter fried mushrooms and sprinkle parsley on top to serve.