Name: Pasta Alla Caponata
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 6 cups cubed eggplant (1/2 inch); 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 8 ounces mezze rigatoni, or other dry pasta; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 cloves garlic, peeled, lightly crushed; 1/2 yellow onion, diced; 1 large red pepper, diced; 1 rib celery, diced; 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste; 2 tablespoons pine nuts; red pepper flakes to taste; 1 tablespoon capers; 1 tablespoon white sugar; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 2 cups crushed tomatoes; 8 basil leaves, torn; 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese

1 Peel off half the eggplant skin in strips using a peeler, and cut eggplant into 1/2-inch cubes. Add eggplant cubes to a large bowl and sprinkle over 1 tablespoon kosher salt; toss thoroughly. Let sit for 20 minutes on the counter, tossing occasionally. Transfer into a strainer, rinse lightly with cold water, and drain very well.

2 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.

3 Add oil to a skillet and place over medium heat. Add garlic cloves; when they start to sizzle, swirl the oil for about 30 seconds. Remove garlic and set aside.

4 Turn the heat to high, and add eggplant to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until eggplant loses its firmness and just starts to become tender, about 6 minutes. Turn off the heat. Set a strainer over a bowl; transfer eggplant into the strainer. Pour any olive oil that drains into the bowl back into the skillet, and place skillet back over medium-high heat.

5 Add onions, celery, and peppers to the skillet, and cook and stir for a few minutes until onions are translucent, and vegetables begin to soften. Add pinenuts, red pepper flakes, capers, and reserved garlic cloves, and cook and stir for 1 minute more.

6 Stir in sugar and vinegar; cook, stirring for another minute. Add eggplant back into the skillet; cook and stir until eggplant is almost tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and a small splash of water, and cook, stirring for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

7 Transfer cooked pasta with a strainer into the finished sauce. Add a ladle or 2 of pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. Turn off the heat, and stir in torn basil leaves. Grate a small amount of pecorino on top to serve.