Slice the ends off of the baby eggplant. Cut the eggplant in half and cut the half into ½ inch pieces. Cut the red pepper and shallot into julienne strips (matchsticks). Cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Chop the garlic and the parsley.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add salt to taste, if desired. Add pasta to the boiling water. Stir gently. Return to a boil. For authentic ‘al dente’ pasta, boil uncovered, stirring occasionally for 9 minutes. For more tender pasta, boil an additional 1 minute. Remove from heat. Drain well. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan. When pan and oil is hot, place the bay scallops in the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the scallops begin to brown. When scallops are browned, add the garlic, shallot, eggplant, red pepper, and asparagus to the pan and cook for 2-3 more minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add the pasta to the pan and mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the pasta seems dry add more oil to the pan.

Place pasta mixture in the middle of the plate twirling the pasta upward to give it some height. Make sure each plate gets an even amount of ingredients. Top the pasta with fresh chopped parsley and asiago cheese.