Ingredients
12 oz penne
1 medium eggplant
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup thin sliced white mushrooms
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp dried basil
1 dried bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella chees, e (2 oz)
1 salt to taste
1 pepper to taste
Directions
1. Cook penne according to package directions until al dente. Drain,
reserving half cup of the cooking water. Set both penne and water
aside.
2. Peel eggplant and cut into 1/3" cubes. In a large, nonstick pan
over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add eggplant and
saute 5 minutes, or until browned and translucent. Transfer eggplant
to a bowl. Set aside.
3. In the same pan over medium heat, add remaining olive oil and saute
onions and mushrooms for 3 minutes, or until onion is transparent and
mushrooms are darkish-brown. Stir in cooked eggplant, tomato sauce,
basil, bay leaf, oregano and wine.
4. Cook 10 minutes longer, reducing heat if mixture begins to boil. If
sauce is too thick, slowly pour in a little reserved water. Remove
bay leaf and discard. Stir in penne and cheese. Cook, stirring, until
cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Servings: 4 servings
Penne With Eggplant Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Eggplant; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
We can read the history of `recipes` back into the distant past, at least as far into history as the Egyptians, and maybe even further. Interesting though that maybe, in the main part, these old cook books were just simple hieroglyphic recipes for food preparation.
Later on, in Roman times around 25BC a man called Apicius assembled a number of scripts detailing recipes cooked by his fellow Romans. In his scrolls, he recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvre, entrees and dessert, something that is very familiar to us today. This early Roman chef recounts how the ancient chefs were skilled in the use of many different spices, including some that we all recognise such as basil, fennel and dill. For the next few years, the powerful families of Wesstern Europe competed to offer the best banquets, and as a consequence, chefs and their collection of recipes could command a high salary. Even so, it wasn`t until the 1800s that haute cuisine and recipe publications rose to prominence. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, spent years to collating, testing, and writing down recipes for their fellow cooks to enjoy. By the advent of the twentieth century, recipe publications were in great demand, due to more people being able to read, leisure time and having more money to spend. |
We hope you enjoy this Penne With Eggplant recipe.
