More pasta

This is it for the roasted red pepper pasta, finally. It's not that it's not good, because it is, but with all the different pastas that Ohio City Pasta makes, it's a shame to keep eating the same one over and over. I get a new batch of mystery pasta tomorrow from the food buying group, along with a bunch of cashew butter that I'll never eat.

Everything's pretty straightforward, so it really doesn't warrant a non-narrative recipe. While the pasta water was heating up I cooked sliced Japanese eggplant in a good amount of olive oil. They weren't fried, but instead almost stewed in the oil with salt and pepper, which added a great taste. When the eggplant was soft and the pasta drained, I added the still dripping pasta back to the pot it and cooked in (off the heat) and added the cooked eggplant, diced yellow and red tomato, and chopped parsley. I added some more olive oil, reseasoned the mix, stirred well, and enjoyed.

The fresh tomato was a nice contrast to the cooked eggplant. Also, there was no need for any more of a sauce. Especially with fresh pasta (whether frozen or not), the starchy water mixed with the oil (butter would have worked too) coats everything nicely. And after the days of duck, I wasn't missing any meat. Cheese could have been added, but I was out of any appropriate one, and its absence was not a problem.

Something to think about (or at least that I think about): Why is the classic dish called Eggplant Parmesan and not Eggplant Mozzarella? I couldn't make it tonight because I didn't have any mozzarella; if I did it wouldn't have made a difference that I didn't have the parmesan.