Recipe: Eggplant and Pasta Charlotte (repost) for Judy, Canada

Though I have never made it, the picture of this dish is so beautiful that I had to post it. Steamed green beans and carrots are pictured with a wedge of the charlotte, as well as a glass of white wine. I would happily eat this even though I am not a vegetarian :-)!! This recipe is from The Complete Vegetarian Cuisine cookbook by Rose Elliot.

Eggplant and Pasta Charlotte
Serves 6 as a main dish, 8 as a starter

2 medium eggplants, total weight about 1 pound
salt
olive oil
14 ounces rigatoni
1 quantity Italian Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)
6 Tbsp. butter
1/2 pound mozzerella cheese, grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated, aged cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. dried breadcrumbs

Slice the eggplant diagonally into 1/4 inch slices. (They need to be done kind of lengthwise so they are fairly long.) Salt the eggplant and place in a colander to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Saute the eggplant slices in a little olive oil for 2 - 3 minutes on each side, until soft and lightly browned. Drain well on paper towels.
3 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush an 8-inch round springform pan with olive oil.

Cook the rigatoni until al dente or almost done. It should be a bit undercooked. Drain well, the return to the pan with 2 Tbl. of the tomato sauce. Mix well.

Melt the butter in the remaining tomato sauce; pour over the rigatoni and mix together with the mozzerella, Parmesan and cheddar cheeses. Add the oregano, and plenty of salt and pepper.

Arrange the eggplant slices over the base and sides of the prepared pan. Make sure that the slices in the base of the pan radiate attractively from the center, and all gaps are filled.

Spoon the pasta mixture into the pan, press down lightly and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes.

Allow the charlotte to stand for 15 minutes to settle, and for the flavors to develop, then slip a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the charlotte out on a warmed serving dish.

Press any fallen eggplant slice back in place and serve immediately.

Italian Tomato Sauce
(I'm sure that you could use any marinara sauce that you would like but this is the recipe that was suggested from tha same cookbook.) Serves 4

1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, scraped and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cans (14 oz. each) tomatoes
1/2 tsp. each basil and oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup (generous) red wine, dark vegetable stock
or water
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Saute the onion, celery, and carrot in the oil in a medium saucepan for 10 minutes, until soft but not browned. Add the garlic, tomatoes, basil, oregano, bay leaf, and red wine, dark vegetable stock or water.

Cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the tomatoes have almost reduced to a puree.

Remove the bay leaf, the puree the suace in a blender ro food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Alittle extra liquid can be added at this point for a thinner sauce, if desired. Add either more red wine, dark vegetable stock or water.