Eggplant Pasta

Bahan-bahan

• 2lbs Italian orChinese eggplant, 1” - 2” long strips

• 2lbs Tomato, chopped

• 4 Garlic cloves, chopped

• 1/2t Chili pepper flakes (Omit for children)

• 1 Parsley bunch, leaves only, chopped

• 1lbs Spaghetti

• 3T Distilled white vinegar

• 1C Olive Oil

• Salt & pepper to taste

Arahan

• Soak eggplant in water + 2-3T distilled white vinegar for 10 minutes. This will help eggplant to keep its color and not turning brown.

• Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan, fry the eggplants until golden brown on each side & soft, remove from heat.

• In the same pan, add garlic, chili pepper, and parsley, cook for a minute. Add tomato & 1t salt to help draw out the juice, cook until a thick sauce form.

• Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

• Add eggplant to sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes. Toss to coat the cooked spaghetti, add pasta water if needed so the sauce itsn’t too dry.

Nota

• Use 2t dried parsley instead of fresh

• To shorten cooking time, cut the egg plants to small chunks, quickly brown in the pan, remove. And proceed as usual.

• Heirloom tomato are traditionally use for this but any will do, just know that taste will vary a little.

• You can add squash or zucchini to the dish, just fry them up like you would w/ eggplant.

• You can use 1C marinara + 1C pasta water instead of making fresh tomato sauce. Heat/cook marinara w/ garlic & chopped parsley, bring to boil, and add cooked eggplant and cook for a couple minutes to bring the flavors together. Coat spaghetti immediately.

• Use 1C marinara + 1/2C cream + 1/2 pasta water to make this into a creamy tomato sauce, add grated parmigiana. Stir vigorously to form a thick sauce before add spaghetti. You can adjust the marinara & cream ratio to your likings.