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Ingredients
1 medium to large firm, heavy eggplant — the firmness and weight of an eggplant determine its freshness and bitterness
Salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound bulk Italian sausage with fennel seed or 4 links of sweet sausage with fennel, casings removed
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
Pepper
10 leaves sage, stacked and very thinly sliced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 pound fusilli lunghi or bucatini
A few handfuls grated Pecorino cheese plus additional for passing
EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Yield
Serves: 4
Preparation
Trim top and bottom off eggplant then cut into 1-inch planks and dice into bite-sized cubes. Place the eggplant on kitchen towels and salt it, let stand 20 minutes then pat dry.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add sausage, brown and crumble then remove to plate. Add remaining oil, 2 turns of the pan, and eggplant, and brown 5 minutes, season with pepper. Add garlic and sage, and stir a minute then add tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Add wine and reduce heat to a simmer, add reserved sausage.
Salt boiling water and cook pasta to al dente, adding a mug of salty water to the sauce before draining, about 1 cup. Remove sauce from heat. Drain pasta and toss it with the sauce. Adjust seasoning, adding a fat handful of grated Pecorino cheese and a fat drizzle EVOO. Serve pasta in shallow bowls and pass extra cheese at table.
Rach explains that adding Parmigiano Reggiano rinds to soups and sauces can give them added cheesy flavor, so her hack is to keep them in your freezer.