Name: Pasta with Eggplant, Capers, and Olives
Yield: Makes 4 main-course servings
Ingredients: 1 eggplant (1 1/4 lb), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 tablespoons salt-packed capers *; 1 red bell pepper; 4 cups vegetable oil; 10 green Bella di Cerignola olives, pitted*; 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves; 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves; 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves; 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh marjoram; 3 garlic cloves; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 anchovy fillet, rinsed and chopped; 2 tablespoons dry white wine; 1 lb penne rigate or fusilli; a deep-fat thermometer

Pasta Mille Gusti

This recipe for "pasta with a thousand flavors," as Aeolian Islanders call it, is based on one developed by Fraser's friend after the writer herself was unable to persuade any locals to share their recipes. We recommend Bella di Cerignola olives, which are quite mild.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Recipe notes

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