Spaghettini with Eggplant

I'm fond of eggplant. You can barbeque it, fry it, bake it or pretty well do anything with it. All you need is a little salt and olive oil. It is a very cool vegetable to eat.

I've made eggplant pasta a bit before. Patricia Wells has a recipe in her Italian book. When I've pulled that off it's been delicious. It involves frying eggplant chunks in a little oil (not a lot) and then adding them to the tomato sauce.

Sometimes it has been a bit of a dud, but when it came off it came off.

Anyway, tonight I was back in my favourite pasta book, Giuliano Hazan's Thirty Minute Pasta.

I was intrigued by Giuliano's approach of simmering the eggplant rather than frying it. He also adds basil and uses fresh tomatoes. That sounded delicious. I didn't like the fact he peeled the eggplant, but I dutifully followed the recipe, as I should the first time.

It didn't work for me. I think I missed the fried chunks of eggplant. It just tasted too light and dare I say healthy, but not in a way I found satisfying. It was edible but not amazing.

To recap the pasta that has really worked for me from this book so far:

- tomato and basil;

- butternut pumpkin;

- tomato and olives.

I didn't go for this one or the Puttanesca, which is a damn shame as I want to find a Puttanesca that works for me. And a reliable Eggplant Pasta. There are heaps of others I want to try in this book (pretty well all of them) so all in good time.