Italian Eggplant Sauce with Tomato and Chili Pepper

I don’t know if I will ever make my way through all of Marcella Hazan’s beautiful pasta sauces in her Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking book, but I will sure try. I couldn’t decide which one to make so I began listing them off to my husband, one by one. He was not entertained, but I loved reading each title and imagining it bubbling on the stove, or draped over a fresh bowl of pasta. Tomato Sauce with Garlic and Basil, Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter, Mushroom Sauce with Ham and Tomato, Eggplant and Ricotta Sauce - Sicilian Style, Roasted Red and Yellow Pepper Sauce with Garlic and Basil, Smothered Onions Sauce, Butter and Parmesan Cheese Sauce, Butter and Sage Sauce, Gorgonzola Sauce, I literally could go on, but you get the point (I’ve included a couple of links to ones I have already made and put on the blog).

If you, like me, read cookbooks like novels — in bed on the weekends, over a cup of coffee — relishing in the stories, ingredients, and step by step processes, you may not be surprised that a list like that just brings me joy and anticipation for what to make next.

This sauce was no exception. It took a little time, with salting and resting the eggplant, frying the eggplant slices, and then simmering the sauce, but the smell filled the kitchen deliciously and the timing worked well with making fresh pasta to go along with the sauce. Marcella points out that this sauce pairs well with factory-made spaghettini, as well as anything you make at home, but I enjoyed the meditative process of hand-making pasta to go along with this sauce beautiful.

Eggplant Sauce with Tomato and Chili Pepper

1 large eggplant (about 1 pound)
Salt
Vegetable oil for frying the eggplant
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juices
1 hot red chili pepper, chopped, to taste (plus 1 tsp dried chili pepper flakes if you like it spicy)
1 pound pasta (fresh or store-bought)
2 ounces smoked mozzarella, torn into strips (optional)
Optional garnishes: sliced basil leaves, grated parmesan cheese

1. Trim, peel and slice the eggplant, steep it in salt for 30 minutes in a colander over a plate.

2. Thoroughly pat dry.

3. Choose a large frying pan, pour in enough oil to come 1½ inches up the sides, and turn the heat up to high. Test the oil by dipping an end of one of the slices of eggplant, if it sizzles, the oil is ready for frying. Slip as many slices of eggplant into the pan as will fit loosely without overlapping.

4. Cook to a golden brown color on one side 1½-3 minutes depending on the heat of your oil, then flip them to cook the other side. Do not turn them more than once. When both sides are done, use a slotted spoon or spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack to drain.

5. Put the olive oil and garlic into a saucepan, and turn the heat to medium. Cook and stir the garlic until it becomes lightly colored.

6. Add the parsley, tomatoes, chili pepper, optional chili flakes, and salt and stir thoroughly. Adjust heat so that the sauce simmers steadily but gently, and cook for about 25 minutes, until the oil separates and floats free.

7. Cut the fried eggplant into about ½ inch strips. Add to the sauce, cooking it for another 2-3 minutes, while stirring once or twice. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.

8. Add sliced smoked mozzarella strips (if using) and stir gently into the sauce.

9. Add al dente cooked pasta to the sauce and cook together for 2-3 more minutes until well incorporated, you may want to add 1/4-1/2 cup pasta cooking water to emulsify the sauce and finish cooking the pasta.

10. Serve as is, or topped with sliced basil and parmesan cheese.

Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan