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Transfer pasta and sauce to a serving bowl; garnish with extra herbs, pine nuts and parmesan or ricotta salata, and serve. |
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246 comments on rigatoni with eggplant purée |
1. I feel similarly about Rachel Ray – she kind of annoys me, and mostly I’m not motivated to try her recipes, but the one I did try – Grilled Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana – was a big hit. I’ve actually had some pretty good luck with Giada’s recipes. I don’t think I’m quite the level of foodie that you are, but we reall... |
1. Erin |
Lovely! And you can taste the garlic and the rich roast tomatoes so it makes for a flavourful meal! I’ve never made my own pasta sauce and this was good! |
2. Yes yes yes! You know, it’s not only guys who love Giada — my girls are just as googly-eyed when she and her tight sweaters grace the tv set. She’s the apple of every girl’s girlcrush. But she really can’t cook. Her recipes are so blah — far less exciting than her tight sweaters. I was starting to feel lonely in t... |
3. Crazy, the husband and I just made this the other day. We liked it alright but while I loved the flavor of the eggplant puree by itself, it didn’t make much of a sauce for the pasta. Will have to try your adjustments. |
4. Sue |
As always your pics are great. I devised an eggplant sauce this weekend for a vegetarian. It wasn’t ‘pretty’, but tasted wonderful, esp with a dab of fresh pesto mixed in at the table. |
BTW, while I was searching for a beggars purse recipe, I found this blog that I thought you might like if you haven’t seen her pics and recipes. – http://annesfood.blogspot.com/ |
5. I have mixed feelings about Giada, too. At first, semi-round girl approach (“don’t trust a skinny cook!) dictated that I be wary of her. Plus, she seemed a bit down all the time. But she’s slowly winning me over. When I saw her make this recipe, I think I turned a corner toward maybe liking her. Is there something... |
But Rachel Ray – appreciating “EVOO” and/or “Choup” is a bridge that I cannot cross! |
6. mb |
those are some seriously toasted pine nuts! I’m always afraid mine will burn so I never let them get too dark. |
your photos are fantastic. just came across this blog yesterday. |
7. NoMoreCable |
I always had the same reactions to almost everything I saw on the Food Network. Then we moved, and now we no longer have cable, and you know who I miss the most? The sportscasters from ESPN! |
But seriously, I have only tried one Giada “recipe” (it’s so simple it can hardly be called a recipe), and that was the prosciutto wrapped asparagus. I highly doubt it was a Giada original, but it was amazing! |
wait, are you are vegetarian? I just realized I’ve never seen meat on your blog… |
8. deb |
Kirsten — Nah, I think it’s just that you didn’t see the backed-up view of the whole brown, spattery bowl! |
Mb — Ditto, I’m usually more cautious but I have this thing where I like to follow recipe to the letter the first time I make it and, though it shouldn’t have surprised me, the eight minutes she suggested burned the bejesus out of them and those were the last I had in the apartment. |
9. This sounds similar to a Barefoot Contessa recipe I made recently, which was delicious. But hers wasn’t a sauce, it was a dip. You roast eggplant, onions, peppers and garlic, then pulse it in the food processor with a tablespoon of tomato paste. It was surprisingly, amazingly delicious. Was wonderful as a dip, and... |
10. RA |
“Oh, Giada.” That’s the war cry at our house whenever we see yet another low-cut top and a tie-around-the-waist apron. It does not make sense. Plus, every time she smiles, I feel like I see like fifty-odd teeth. And yet, I still watch. Here’s to feeling ill when she loses all of her baby weight in a matter of secon... |
11. i made something similar recently thats called Sicilian Pasta in my blog. I didn’t puree the eggplant, I just sauteed (can also be roasted) until its super, super soft and then once you stir in the crushed tomatoes, the eggplant just magically disintigrates into a puree-like sauce. mmm… |
and i totally agree that giada isn’t as creative as she’d like to think she is. i saw the crushed cookies on the ice cream episode too. yeah….real inventive. |
12. The only Giada recipe that I feel strongly enough about to make regularly is this one for her lemon ricotta cookies. They are, quite simply, some of the best cookies IN THE UNIVERSE. Seriously. I made them yet again this weekend and planned to blog about them but they got eaten by our gaming group before I could ... |
13. Wow, that looks like a plate full of late summer. Bring it on. It seems like we here in the cold white North aren’t the only ones in the midst of the Winter Blah’s! If this doesn’t get us all feeling a little lighter of mood, I’m not sure what will, baring a week in the Caribean! |
14. Sarah |
I saw that episode as well and really wanted to give it a try! Great ideas for improving it. I would love to try it now. I actually just made the short rib tagliatelle a week ago for Sunday dinner. Instead of using the short ribs, however, I opted for a cheaper cut of meat. The end result was very good I thought, h... |
15. Kat |
I like Giada, and regularly peek into her “Everyday Italian” cookbook – but I am slightly frightened by her lollipop head. I was mildly suprised when that hack Rachael Ray beat her when they did Iron Chef together! |
For being an ugly dish, you still got a lovely shot out of it. I’m in awe of your photographic skilz. |
16. Andrea |
Did you ever notice that her cooking show is shot more like an art film? |
I do own her everyday Italian cookbook and the citrus biscotti, the tuna and tomato sauce and the chicken paremsan (she doesn’t bread it but lightly browns the chicken cutlets in an aromatic oil and then bakes it with a bit of cheese and sauce) are big hits here. A good friend swears by her lemon spaghetti. |
Deb — have you ever considered polling your readers about their opinions on Food Network “personalities”. I’ll bet you get some strong responses. |
Thanks for a beautiful blog. |
17. I think that on a station called the FOOD Network, chicken breasts should be getting more airtime than Giada’s. Seriously, the tiny, cleavage bearing tops are way distracting, even for women without girl-crushes on the pseudo chef. |
I tried the Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli from her “Thanksgiving for Two” show. It was kind of a novelty to have Thanksgiving pasta, but not exactly stellar. I think my own touches made a would-be bland recipe into something more delightful. |
18. I like Giada. I’m a little concerned that her head is too big for her body, but that’s possibly because I’m envious her waist is the size of my ankle, but I digress. |
I love her garlic chicken and I admit, when I see her show on Food Network I’m compelled to watch it, but it annoys the jeebus out of me when she’s chatting away in her ‘ole American accent and launches into the pronounciation of brusketta and reekohta. I know she’s Italian — and I am not one to talk about having a... |
I guess it could be worse: Giada could say BAM! all the time. |
19. Belinda |
This sounds yummy…but I actually want to comment on the pumpkin muffin recipe you posted. I found it a few weeks ago when I googled recipes for pumpkin muffins. It is mmmmm, so good. I never thought to sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top before I baked the muffins. I added a teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 cup chopped p... |
20. Joy |
Giada… oh Giada. I’ve come to resent the fake orgasm she has at the end of every show, tasting her own food. I mean… come on. Orgasm aside, I do like how she puts ricotta and mascarpone into already delicious things like whipped cream and cupcakes. I’ll forgive her the fake moans and groans for that. |
21. Lola |
I met Giada in person and she is really very very beautiful in person and couldn’t be nicer. She tooks so much time to pose for pictures (at a local Williams-Sonoma) and sign autographs. I was very pleased that I waited to meet her. |
I have made her Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel sauce (good) and her Pepper, Sausage, and Onion recipe…it was a recipe for Christmas Eve and everyone requested the recipe. It was delicious. |
22. BMK |
Thanks for the review, I have been wanting to try this recipe. I made the short ribs with tagliatelle and they were delicious. You won’t be disappointed. |
23. Cookies and Milk |
May I first say that I LOVE your blog. With that said, what is with food-bloggers and their snobbery when it comes to the Food Network? |
24. Ashley |
I don’t have a problem with Rachel Ray, in theory. I think there are a lot more working parents putting real food on their families’ tables because of the 30-minute phenom. If it takes EVOO and STOUP & SAMMIES to get Taco Bell and Hot Dogs off America’s dinner menu, that’s fine with me. In action, she’s annoying. |
On the other hand, do we really want a network full of personality and quirk free celebri-chefs? Gale Gand makes pretty things, but she’s beyond bland. |
I really like Giada, and her recipes are sure-fire pleasers at my house. I like putting out simple, easy to prepare meals that (to me & mine) look & taste much more complicated than they really were. It’s all a matter of preference. However, I almost always adjust recipes as I go, first time or 100th time. |
Giada’s Italian Wedding Soup is delicious! It’s garlicky, soothing, full of greens, and has replaced even the idea of Chicken Soup in my house. |
25. Oh I enjoy watching Giada – especially when she travels and went to Greece! I also really enjoy Ina Garten’s food – but she’s hard to look at these days. She’s gotten even heavier and so unhealthy looking! I really enjoy all your posts and recipe suggestions. You get my creativity flowing and are making me a bett... |
26. deb |
Cookies and Milk — It’s a good, fair question and I think a lot of it is just because they’re out there, telling people how to cook and often, the recipes (and in several cases, the suggestions of processed, dubiously honest, i.e. advertised ingredients) are terrible. But I find that I really want to like them, I w... |
27. Giada is certainly not one of my favorites, but she does have some good recipes every once in a while. I made her giandua souffles recently, and they were wonderful. |
28. LyB |
My better half and I call Giada “donut girl” because in one of the first episodes we saw she was making donuts and she put them in a brown bag to coat them with sugar. She then proceeded to shake said bag (and everything else there was to shake for that matter) with all her might, smiling away, showing every one of... |
29. C |
I’m gonna admit it – I love her! Love! If I could write my o’s with little hearts right now I totally would. I’ve never been disappointed with anything I’ve cooked of hers and a few times I’ve even been really impressed. Now, Sandra Lee on the other hand. |
30. demelza |
Giada looks a little foolish with the clingy, cleavage bearing sweaters, I agree. I’ve rarely seen her do anything earth shattering and her cookbooks are definitely novice level. BUT – I did follow her recipe for Roman Style Chicken a while back and the result was excellent. Quite possibly the most delicious Italia... |
31. I agree with much of what has been said in the previous comments, but I still like Giada. She is not nearly as annoying as some of the other FN personalities, and she doesn’t make up stupid words (sammies, yummo, to name a few). Anyone who uses mascarpone as much as she does is all right in my book! |
32. Moira |
This is my first time visiting your lovely website and I must say it was inspiring! In fact I was so inspired I went right to the store after work to pick up an eggplant to use in this recipe. I used a small (but not japanese) eggplant and the whole pint of tomatoes and the result was a delicious creamy pale red sa... |
33. I really like the idea of roasting everything before hand, but I’m usually disappointed with most eggplant pasta and/or Giada recipes, so I probably wouldn’t be the best judge… though my mother and sister would love me to make this for them! |
There’s a broccoli rabe, sausage, and cavatelli recipe of Giada’s that I like, though over the years I’d tweaked it so much that I don’t know if it even resembles the recipe anymore. |
34. floridagal |
Deb, |
You just read my mind. I have been planning to make some pasta dish but didn’t have any recipes. I am going to try this and let you know. This will be my first step into the world of making pasta :) |
I brought rotini pasta the other day. Do you have a ‘yummy deb’ recipe for that? |
Thank you |
35. Kate |
I love Giada. When I was teaching myself to cook, her recipes were a godsend– they weren’t fussy and they always came out as I expected them to. Nothing ever ended with tears and disaster. I’d like to think that I’m more adventurous now, but her pork loin with fig and port sauce is my staple for Christmas, and I st... |
36. Jenya |
Ech.. Giada Delaurentis >_< |
I’ve found I can’t watch her without staring at the Enormous Jaw Of Doom – she might have nice features otherwise, but I could never look past the Jaw (and that pretentious pronounce of hers) and ogle her in earnest, even if I am in the appropriate camp to do so. |
As far as her cooking goes… I don’t have much respect for anyone whose crowning moment in the kitchen strikes when the dish is doused in butter, salt, sugar, bacon or cheese. It isn’t hard! Millions of years of evolution taught us to seek salty, fatty and sweet things, but the widespread belief that ‘bacon makes ev... |
So I don’t know about the tagliatelle, though, the lady lost me at ‘1/2 cup pancetta’ |
– not that I have much against smoked and cured pig, but half a cup???! |
le sigh |
The rest of Food Network, other than the atrocities a la Sandra Lee, I’ve trusted a few Alton Brown recipes and never regretted them (I have yet to wean my SO off his chocolate chip cookies, even after my conversion to the Blue Chip ones) and while I admit him to be annoying and over the top at times, he’s nothing ... |
She makes me forget any enmity I have for cured pig, moreover, she makes me want to stick my head into a live one as to avoid seeing and hearing… |
But that’s a whole different network *wipes forehead* |
I love eggplant. No, I love, love, love eggplant, but you can’t have eggplant sans bell pepper – it’s not right. |
37. I think you managed to make it look good, or maybe you just angled the photo really well. ;-) Either way, looks and sounds good to me! |
But yea, aside from the parade of mediocrity that is the Food Network, the true trifecta of poor cooking they run really gets me riled up (Sandra Lee, Rachel Ray, Paula “HEY YALL ADD SUMMO’ BUTTA!” Deen)…e.g. how to make home-made salsa: buy a jar of salsa, pour in dish–that’s semi-homemade! >:o But don’t get me st... |
38. Sue |
Ha ha! I think it’s very funny that you’ve gotten so many responses to this entry. I now receive your updates via feedblitz, so I’m afraid I’m late adding my two cents. |
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