September paccheri is a simple and flavorful first course, prepared with the last eggplants of the summer and the first ripe tomatoes for sauce. An easy and quick dish, where the sweetness of fresh and genuine vegetables blends with the savoriness and body of the pasta.
For this recipe, I chose Neapolitan paccheri bronze-drawn: a smooth pasta with a processing that, thanks to the drawing, perfectly retains the sauce, enhancing every nuance.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 198.68 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 34.50 (g) of which sugars 9.37 (g)
- Proteins 7.36 (g)
- Fat 3.19 (g) of which saturated 0.45 (g)of which unsaturated 0.43 (g)
- Fibers 8.00 (g)
- Sodium 343.13 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 6 1/3 oz paccheri
- 1 round eggplant
- 1.1 lbs San Marzano tomatoes (ripe)
- 1 clove onion
- 4 leaves basil
- salt
- black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
Preparation of September Paccheri
Start by peeling the eggplant, then cut it into fairly large cubes and place it in a strainer, sprinkling it with a bit of salt. Let it rest for about 20 minutes: this will remove excess water and any potential bitter aftertaste.
Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes well (they must be ripe, for sauce) and cut them into not too large pieces. Gather them in a bowl, along with the juice they release.
In a large pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the eggplants after rinsing and slightly squeezing them. The eggplants will tend to absorb the oil, so if necessary, add a little more.
When they start to brown, add the finely chopped onion and stir. After about a minute, add the tomatoes with all their liquid. Adjust with salt and pepper, and let cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until you get a thick sauce. At the end of cooking, turn off the heat and add a few fresh basil leaves torn by hand.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of abundant salted water to a boil and cook the paccheri, following the times indicated on the package. Just before draining them, take a ladle of cooking water and set it aside.
Drain the pasta al dente and transfer it directly to the pan with the sauce. Turn the heat back on and mix well, letting it flavor for a couple of minutes. If the sauce seems too dry, add some of the reserved cooking water.
Your paccheri with eggplants and fresh tomatoes are ready: fragrant, colorful, and perfect for bidding farewell to summer with taste!
