Turns out Eggplant makes an amazing base for Pasta sauce. In fact it's nearly perfect for it. It WANTS to be sauce. Pairing up fresh eggplant with some heirloom tomatoes makes an amazing sauce for pasta. You want more eggplant than tomato because, well it IS the star of the show after all.
Like any sauces this can be made the night of your meal or made into a large batch and frozen. It's a great recipe to keep in mind should you ever find yourself in possession of too many eggplants. In this recipe I used the long skinny eggplants from a local farmer's market but any eggplant will work just fine.
Gather Up:
5 Medium Long eggplants or one regular round one, cut into small cubes (1 inch)
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2 TSP Minced Garlic
Olive Oil
2 TSP Fresh chopped rosemary
1 TBSP dried oregano
1 TSP Salt
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and chopped
2 Ripe Heirloom tomatoes, chopped
Pepper to taste
2 Cups water
1. Saute onion and garlic in a sauce pan until translucent. Add spices and continue to saute for 2 minutes.
2. Add the jalapeno and eggplant and cook over medium heat until eggplant is soft.
3. Add tomatoes and water and bring to a boil.
4. Simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
5. Remove half of the mixture including liquid and blend in a blender or food processor until well blended. Add water if needed.
6. Return to the pan and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve over fresh pasta.
