This dish just screams summer...roasted aubergine and chopped pistachios with a delicious fresh and zesty sauce made from capers, chili, olive oil, lemon, herbs and a chopped tomato. Perfectly enjoyed whilst dining al fresco, with a glass of wine and great company!
This is one of my favourite dishes this summer, I made it a few times with homemade pasta, but this recipe features dried tagliatelle with little compromise on flavour or texture, for a dish ready in a fraction of the time. We enjoyed this dish for my birthday this year back in June, served with some fresh sourdough, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic and some olives on the table, a glass of red and some ice-cold limoncello for dessert. It wasn't quite Italy, or an Italian restaurant, but it was perfect nonetheless.
That's one my favourite thing about food, the memories it sparks when you taste a dish, or smell something cooking and it just brings a smile to your face and this dish is one of those. What are your favourite foods that hold a memory?
Just to show you how easy this dish is you can see me making it below. Ahead of cooking the dish you'll need to chop and roast up the aubergine and during that time you can gather and prep the rest of your ingredients. Once the prep is done, this whole dish comes together in the short time it takes to cook the tagliatelle.
Please give the video and like, share and subscribe to my account by hovering over the flower icon in the top left corner of the video above and clicking subscribe!
Aubergine & Pistachio Tagliatelle | Serves: 4 | Time: 35 mins
You'll need
- Baking tray
- Greaseproof paper (I use reusable)
- Large saucepan
- Sauté pan
- Wooden spoon
- Tongs/spaghetti spoon
- Ladle
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Zester/fine grater
- Measuring cups & spoons
- 3x medium bowls/plates
- Small jug/measuring cup
Ingredients
- 250g dried vegan tagliatelle
- 1 large aubergine
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 medium red chili
- 1 lemon, juice & zest
- 1/4 cup pistachios
- 1 medium tomato
- 2 tbsp chopped mint
- 1 tbsp chopped basil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 150g baby spinach
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with grease-proof paper.
- Dice the aubergine into 2cm pieces, lay onto the baking tray and toss with a little olive oil and a salt, toss together and roast for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, dice the onion, mince the chili and add to a medium bowl or plate with the capers.
- Then zest the lemon, roughly chop the pistachios, dice the tomato into 2cm pieces and chop the herbs and add to the next bowl.
- Squeeze the lemon juice and add the red wine vinegar to the small jug.
- Finally, chop the spinach and add to the next bowl, along with the aubergine once cooked.
- To begin cooking, bring a large pan of generously salted water to the boil, then add the tagliatelle to the water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 6-8 minutes.
- Then heat up the sauté pan on a medium heat and add a generous glug of olive oil (3-4 tbsp). Add the contents of the first bowl with the onion, chili and capers and cook for few minutes to soften, stirring often.
- Next, add the lemon zest, pistachios, tomato and herbs and a good pinch of black pepper to the sauté pan and stir. Then add the baby spinach and roasted aubergine and stir together, before adding in the lemon juice and red wine vinegar.
- Using tongs or a spaghetti spoon, transfer the tagliatelle to the sauté pan, with a ladle of pasta water and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir it well, to emulsify the sauce then taste for seasoning and adjust as required. Then serve up and enjoy!
Cassidy xx
