Sunday 24 February 2013

Pasta with swordfish, aubergine and mint

Swordfish and eggplant pasta

We have pasta most days. I know that may horrify the carb-avoiders among you but frankly, nothing can match it for taste, speed and ease of preparation and I get withdrawal symptoms if I go for more than a few days without. The best pasta dishes are almost always the simplest - think of pesto, made with basil, pine nuts and parmesan or a fresh tomato sauce, sauteed quickly with maybe a finely chopped shallot or two and served with nothing more than a few basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil. 

One of my favourite combinations for pasta is fish with fresh herbs and vegetables and this swordfish recipe is one of the finest. It originates in Sicily where the use of mint in savoury dishes is quite widespread and it's a custom that I love. This dish is arguably best made in late summer when aubergines and tomatoes are at their peak but I tend to think of it as something I can (and indeed do) make all year round. It's a beautifully balanced dish of flavour and colour. Just please make sure that you use fresh mint - don't even contemplate using the dried stuff here.

I'm sending this to one of my favourite challenges, Herbs on Saturday, created and hosted by Karen from the consistently wonderful Lavender and Lovage although I apologise for not having foraged for the mint!

Herbs on Saturday

I'm also sending this over to Javelin Warrior's weekly challenge, Made with Love Mondays which encourages us all to cook from scratch.

JWsMadeWLuvMondays

RECIPE

350g penne or other short pasta
1 large aubergine 
olive oil
300g swordfish
1 garlic clove
160g cherry tomatoes, rouhgly chopped
a bunch of mint, chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper

Start by dicing the aubergines into 1cm cubes. Some people salt them before cooking to draw out excess moisture and bitterness but I don't bother - I've tried doing it and really I don't think that it makes a difference.

Pour some olive oil into a large frying pan, about 1-2 cm,  and when it's hot, fry the aubergine cubes until golden brown. Remove using a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. You may need to do this in two batches. Season with salt and add half of the chopped mint.

Discard the oil and give the pan a quick wipe. Remove any skin from the swordfish with a sharp knife and cut into cubes, roughly the same size as the aubergine. Lightly squash the garlic clove, making sure it stays intact and heat with a tablespoon of olive oil in the frying pan. When it just starts to colour, discard the garlic and add the swordfish. Fry quickly for 2 minutes, then add the cherry tomatoes and cook together for a further 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In the meantime, cook the pasta in salted water according to instructions.

When the pasta is al dente, drain quickly and mix all together with the swordfish, tomatoes, aubergine cubes and the rest of the mint.

Swordfish aubergine pasta






10 comments:

  1. Simple pasta dishes are marvelous, Katherine. When I was in middle of moving, I survived on quick pasta dishes with fresh flavors and ingredients. I love the use of mint with the swordfish - how delicious... Thanks so much for sharing...

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  2. I'm with you on using pasta for mid-week meals and I regularly have pesto linguine. A lovely idea to use swordfish in the recipe. I agree - there is nothing quite like fresh mint in dishes - it adds a different level of freshness to the dish.

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    1. The swordfish works really well as it stays quite firm and doesn't disintegrate in the pasta. Unfortunately I can't find it round here very often so when I do, I snap it up and freeze what I can't use!

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  3. I couldn't think of anything fresher than a pasta with fresh fish, aubergine and mint. Wonderful combination! I will certainly have a go at this. I don't use much mint in my cooking and I think I am missing out.
    Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. Thanks - the mint really makes a big difference to this dish.

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  4. This is JUST stunning Katharine! MY kind of meal with super ingredients and I LOVE the combination of fish, aubergines and mint..... just lovely! Karen

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    1. Thank you Karen - the mint is so delicious with the aubergine and swordfish but without being overpowering!

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  5. Simple sauce are the best!! I love this combination of fresh swordfish and aubergine..it sounds crazy but I am not used to eat classic southern Italian dishes and this really inspires me (I need to find a good pescespada now!!)

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    1. Thanks Rita! Actually it's not easy to find swordfish, at least not up here in rural Wales - I'm sure it's easier in London!

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