Preparation time:
- 40mins
Specialty:
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free (optional)
My dad used to prepare pasta with swordfish or tuna, eggplants and tomatoes and as a kid it was one of my favorites. I have tried to recreate my own version by adding cherry tomatoes confit, pistachios and cooking each ingredient separately in order to bring out all the flavors. The cherry tomatoes confit will become super sweet and concentrate the tomato taste. The fried eggplants are juicy, and the pistachios add a lovely crunchiness to the dish. With this recipe I wanted also to celebrate my family and bring to the US some Italian aromas.
Ingredients:
- Fusilli (90g per person)
- 1 Eggplant (1 lbs / 450g)
- 20 Cherry Tomatoes (for 2 people)
- 200g Swordfish (for 2 people)
- Fresh Basil
- A Clove of Garlic
- Extra-virgin Olive Oil
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 50g Raw Pistachios
- Sea Salt
Instructions:
- Pre-heat the oven at 300°F and prepare a tray with baking paper. Add 8 cherry tomatoes to the tray and season with sea salt and black pepper and drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil. Cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
- Dice the eggplant (cut cubes the size of a thumb) and sprinkle salt on top of each cube in order to remove the excess water. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a pan and fry the eggplant until they become golden brown (usually cook for 10 minutes).
- Once cooked, let the eggplant cubes rest on a paper towel to remove the excess oil.
- In a wok, simmer a clove of garlic with extra-virgin olive oil until it becomes golden.
- Cut the 12 cherry tomatoes into 2 pieces and add them to the wok.
- Cut the swordfish into cubes and add them to the wok once the cherry tomatoes are half cooked.
- Once the cherry tomatoes are fully cooked, add basil and turn low heat.
- Boil water in a pot and once the water is boiling add 1 tablespoon of sea salt and then add the pasta. The pasta needs to cook for 2 mins less than the time recommended on the box.
- While the pasta is boiling add 2/3 tablespoons of the pasta water into the wok. This water will add a creamy texture to the sauce.
- Add half of the eggplant cubes to the wok with the cherry tomato sauce.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the wok. Continue to stir until sauce is fully mixed with the pasta. Add some freshly ground black pepper.
- Plate the pasta and season it with some eggplant cubes, freshly chopped basil, coarsely chopped pistachios and drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil.