“Badly Cut” Pasta with Eggplant and Tuna
Chef Salvatore AnzaloneCaffe BondíNew York, New York
Serves 4
Pasta
4 eggs
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup semolina flour
Sauce
¼ cup pine nuts
1 pound small eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
¼ cup drained chopped capers
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ pound tuna fillet
2 tablespoons Malvasia or other Italian dessert wine
Make the pasta; Mix eggs, salt, oil and flour into an elastic dough. Roll pasta on pasta machine and cut into assorted shapes. (See Chapter 3 for detailed directions for making pasta.)
Preheat the oven to 300°. Toast the pine nuts in the oven until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Reserve.
Sprinkle the eggplant cubes with half of the lemon juice. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant cubes and fry until tender but not mushy. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Add the onion and garlic to the same pan and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the pine nuts, capers, oregano, and tuna and continue cooking until tuna is half-cooked. Return the eggplant to the pan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and the Malvasia. Cook until the tuna is opaque throughout and the flavors blend.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring at least 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add pasta and cook very briefly. Check for doneness almost immediately. Cook until al dente and drain.
Remove pasta to large heated bowl, dress with sauce, and serve.
