6.03.2014

ultimate comfort food that is also a party hit!

{ spinach-cheese, aubergine-olive and tomato sauce pasta gratin }

Agora que vem aí o mundial... uma receita com as cores de Portugal ;)

I know I posted a pasta gratin just two days ago...

I'm telling you...

Better yet: I'm warning you...

This is no ordinary pasta gratin. This is The comfort food you've been craving your whole life, The most simple yet complex pasta dish, The perfect quick-whip recipe for unexpected guests, That tray of pasta you can freeze for those days you don't feel like cooking and also The tray of pasta you thought could feed two mouths but you end up eating alone on a Tuesday night (oOops... guilty!) ;)

I originally made this recipe for a big dinner with a lot of other dishes, for a regular meal I estimate it feeds around 6-8.



Gratinado de Massa com Três Faces
- 500g de massa à escolha (usei bandnudeln)

Espinafre e queijo
- 300g de espinafres, lavados
- 1 queijo mozzarella ou requeijão
- sal e pimenta

Puré de Beringela
- 3 beringelas, lavadas e cortadas em cubos
- 5 dentes de alho, com casca e esmagados
- sal, pimenta e garam masala
- azeite
- 6 azeitonas sem caroço, cortadas em rodelas

Molho de tomate rápido
- 2/3 de chávena de polpa de tomate
- alho seco
- sal
- pimenta
- orégãos
- manjericão
- azeite

- mozzarella ralado
- orégãos

1) Coloque a beringela e os alhos com casca num tabuleiro de ir ao forno, temperar com sal, pimenta e garam masala e regar com azeite; assar a 170ºC durante cerca de 30-40 min,
2) Escaldar os espinafres em água fervente temperada com sal até estarem tenros; escorrer e partir em pedaços; reservar,
3) Cozer a massa em água com sal; escorrer e passar por água fria; reservar,
4) Retirar a beringela e os alhos do forno, eliminar as cascas dos alhos e reduzir tudo a puré; incorporar as azeitonas,
5) Desfazer o mozzarela e misturar com o espinafre, temperar com sal e pimenta,
6) Levar ao lume todos os ingredientes do molho de tomate e cozinhar um pouco,
7) Espalhar um pouco de molho no fundo de um pirex grande, cobrir com uma camada de massa, espalhar o espinafre, nova camada de massa, espalhar a beringela, mais uma camada de massa, deitar o restante molho e cobrir com o mozzarella ralado,
8) Antes de servir, polvilhar com orégãos e levar ao forno a gratinar a 170ºC cerca de 20 minutos.


Three-Sided Pasta Gratin
- 500g pasta (I used bandnudeln)

Spinach and cheese
- 300g spinach, rinsed
- 1 mozzarella or ricotta cheese
- salt and pepper

Eggplant Purée
- 3 eggplants, rinsed and diced
- 5 garlic cloves, with peel, smashed
- salt, pepper, garam masala
- olive oil
- 6 pitted olives, cut down to rings

Fast tomato sauce
- 2/3 cup tomato paste
- dried garlic
- salt
- pepper
- oregano
- basil
- oilve oil

- grated mozzarella
- oregano

1) Bake the eggplant and garlic, seasoned with salt, pepper, garam masala and plenty olive oil at 170ºC for about 30-40 min,
2) Soak the spinach in boiling salted water until tender; drain and chop; set aside,
3) Boil the pasta in salted water; drain and rinse with cold water; set aside,
4) Take the eggplant and garlic out of the oven, eliminate the garlic peels, purée; mix in the olives,
5) Tear the mozzarella apart and mix with spinach, season with salt and pepper,
6) Cook all the tomato sauce ingredients over medium heat,
7) Pour a little tomato sauce on the bottom of a big pyrex, cover with a layer of pasta, spread spinach mixture, another layer of pasta, spread eggplant purée, yet another layer of pasta, pour remaining sauce and finish with the grated mozzarella,
8) When it's time to serve, sprinkle with oregano and bake at 170ºC for about 20 minutes.

8 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. The eggplant puree is a pleasant surprise in this dish. Moreover, its versatility from servings to freezing options makes getting dinner on the table a thing of ease. Nice work, Ines!

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  3. Achei a tua receita muito interessante.
    O aspecto esta delicioso
    bjs

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  4. Mais uma vez adorei esta tua ideia. Mais uma para experimentar em breve!
    Bjs

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  5. Que massa fantástica, e o puré de beringela deve dar um sabor maravilhoso e diferente. Um dia destes vai ser uma travessa destas por aqui :)
    Beijinhos

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  6. Love your eggplant puree. this would be a fantastic addition to so many pasta dishes.

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  7. With the world cup games being mostly at noon for us, this would be the perfect thing to serve! LOVE that it has eggplants, one of my favorite things on earth.

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  8. É a1º vez que vejo assim um prato assim confecionado nesta forma principalmente com o puré de beringela, vou guardar com muito carinho esta receita e ver se a faço e depois digo te;)

    Uma sugestão deliciosa, saudável:) adoro adoro querida:)

    Beijinho

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