Cooking With Carol: Pasta and Grilled Vegetables

Spinach Tagliatelle with Grilled Vegetables

1 red pepper, seeded and cut into quarters 
1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into quarters 
1 green pepper, seeded and cut into quarters 
6 baby eggplant, cut lengthwise into quarters 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
8 plum (egg or Italian) tomatoes, halved 
1 red onion, sliced 
2 cloves garlic, crushed 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh purple basil or fresh green basil 
freshly ground black pepper 
1 pound fresh spinach tagliatelle

1 Preheat grill to a high heat. 
 
2 Place red, yellow and green pepper quarters, skin side up, under grill. Cook for 5-10 minutes until skins are blistered and charred. Place peppers in a plastic food bag and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove skins from peppers. Cut flesh into thick slices. 
 
3 Brush cut surfaces of eggplant lightly with oil. Grill for 2-3 minutes each side or until tender and golden. 
 
4 Place tomatoes, skin side down, under grill. Cook for 2 minutes or until soft. 
 
5 Heat remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until onion is soft and golden. Add red, yellow and green peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, basil and black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. 
 
6 Cook pasta in boiling water in a large saucepan following packet directions. Drain well. To serve, divide pasta between warm serving bowls. Top with vegetable mixture. 
 
Serving suggestion: This pretty pasta dish is delightful for casual entertaining. A complete meal might start with a mixed green salad and crusty bread (from Mohaska Farmhouse) and finish with a selection of fresh seasonal fruit. 
 
Serves 4

Note from Eileen - I had this dish in Prague last month and it also had grilled zucchini in it, as well as a little butter on the pasta and rosemary which the Czechs love.  For KSN I added the zucchini and switched to a locally available pasta that is enriched with carrot, spinach and tomato providing a full vegetable serving in a 4 oz. serving of pasta!