Bucatini with roasted eggplant and pistachio and jalapeno pesto
Fresh pasta gets tossed with a simply-roasted eggplant and an easy-to-make pesto to give the appearance of a high-end pasta dish. Your guests will feel transported to Italy!
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender for Pesto
Ingredients
Simple Pistachio and Jalapeno Pesto
- 2 cup basil
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- .5 cup Freshly grated parmesean cheese
- 1 tbsp crushed red repper flakes
- 2 tbsp pistachios
- Half Jalapeno
- .5 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
Basic Egg Pasta Dough in Food Processor
- .75 pounds 00 Flour I use .375 pounds of All Purpose Flour and .375 pounds of Semolina flour (feel free to use just AP if you don't have semolina flour)
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tbsp water room temp
Roasted Eggplant
- 1 medium to large sized eggplant
- .25 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Pistachio and Jalapeno Pesto
- Combine basil, garlic, pistachios, jalapeno, salt and red pepper flakes in a food processor and process until finely minced.
- With the food processor running, drizzle in the oil until the mixture is smooth.
- Add in the parmesan and process just briefly until everything is combined. You don't want to over puree the cheese.
Basic Egg Pasta Dough in Food Processor
- Add flour to your food processor and with the motor running, add eggs 1 at a time.
- After all eggs have been added, go ahead and add the water, 1 tbsp at a time. You don't want the dough to be too wet, however don't worry if that's the case as you're going to kneed the dough with flour after combined.
- After full mixed in the food processor, dump your dough onto a well floured work surface (I kneed with semolina flour), and begin kneeding the dough with your palms, for about 5 minutes, until it no longer feels wet.
- Form the dough into a ball, and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow at least 30 minutes for your dough to rest.
- Once rested, make your pasta according to your pasta maker's instructions. For the Kitchenaid pasta extruder, choose the bucatini fitting and begin to make your homemade pasta!
Roasted Eggplant
- Peel and chop eggplant into small bite sized chunks. I like mine a little larger so cut them to about half and inch cubes.
- Mix them in a bowl with other listed ingredients and roast in a 450 degree over for about 25 minutes until they're nice and golden.
Assembly
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil.
- Add the pasta to the water, stir a few times to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
- Cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally, until al dente or softer depending on desired texture.
- In a separate pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter and once melted, add al dente pasta directly to pan. Stir to coat and add reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time until pasta is finished cooking.
- Stir in pesto and add roasted eggplant.
- Garnish with additional grated parmesan and microgreens.
Notes
This is a simple pesto recipe that can work with any store bought pasta. I've purchased some incredible store bought pastas, and even better, if you can find them from a local vendor at your weekend farmers market, totally support them and get it fresh! My go-to easy pasta dough recipe can have you making fresh noodles in under an hour, however don't feel the need to be that adventurous, or do! I would like to add that while making homemade pasta seems daunting and scary for some, it's actually quite easy to jump into. With even just a rolling pin you can start cranking out delicious pastas that your friends and family would be impressed by.
You can also make it much easier on yourself and snag a low cost pasta roller, or splurge for the Kitchenaid stand mixer with it's fantastic pasta attachments. I used the Kitchenaid extruder to make these delicious bucatini, which I absolutely love because the sauce gets trapped in the canals of the pasta and you really can't get a single bad bit here! With all the options that Kitchenaid has for their pasta attachments, you can make countless types of pasta, many of which I showcase in my other recipes. I can't speak more highly of their products and what they've done to up my pasta game!
Enjoy!