This cake can be baked more evenly and without having to worry about overbrowning by baking it at a lower temperature for a longer amount of time. This cake has a texture that is slightly pound cake-like and is on the denser side. With a steaming cup of coffee the next morning, it is delicious!
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
- 1 large bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns, or to taste
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 crushed dried red chile pepper
- 10 medium tomatoes, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves, or to taste
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut eggplants into french fry-sized strips and salt lightly.
- Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant strips and fry until lightly browned and fully cooked through, turning from time to time, 4 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, bay leaf, and peppercorns to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until spaghetti is tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.
- Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and chile pepper and fry lightly until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until soft but still holding shape, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Drain pasta and immediately add to cooked tomatoes. Add fried eggplant, feta, and basil. Toss to combine and serve immediately.
- This is quite a dry kind of pasta dish. If you prefer a saucier kind, just increase the amount of tomatoes.
- An alternative to feta is to use a small amount of chopped anchovy fillets. Remember that both feta and anchovies are salty so do not season the tomatoes heavily.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 1079 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 119 g |
| Cholesterol | 51 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 19 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Sodium | 1245 mg |
| Sugars | 21 g |
| Fat | 57 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |