Recipe by Lynfred Brand Ambassador, Laura Lorenz
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Roasted Eggplant-
2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1in cubes (globe or Italian eggplant) *
⅓ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
Sauce-
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ onion, minced (yellow or sweet onion)
2 medium garlic cloves, grated or pressed
½ cup red wine*
28 ounce can tomato purée
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
½ Tablespoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon red pepper flake
½ Tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon baking soda*
1 Tablespoon mascarpone cheese
Pasta-
12-16 ounces angel hair pasta*
Salt for pasta water
Garnish-
Fresh basil
Shaved parmesan or Romano cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Add the 2 tablespoons of oil and the onion to a large sauté pan over medium- low heat. Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until translucent and soft. Next, turn the heat to low and add the garlic, dried oregano, ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning, red pepper flake,1 teaspoon of kosher salt, tomato paste, and stir well. Then add the wine to deglaze; stir for 1 minute. Next, add the tomato purée; stir well and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
While the sauce is simmering; add the cubed eggplant to a large bowl, drizzle in ⅓ cup of olive oil and sprinkle the garlic salt and 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning on top of the eggplant. Stir until the eggplant is completely coated with the seasonings and oil. Lay the eggplant on the cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Then flip the eggplant after 20 minutes and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water, and cook pasta according to package directions.
After the sauce has simmered for 20 minutes, add in the sugar, baking soda, mascarpone cheese and stir well.
Finally, in a large dish (or pasta pot once noodles are drained); combine the sauce, cooked pasta, and the eggplant, stirring until completely incorporated.
Plating-
This dish can be served family style or on individual plates. Make sure and top the pasta with fresh basil, desired cheese, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with crusty bread and Lynfred wine!
*Notes*
*I really enjoy the texture of the skin on the eggplant, if you do not then peel it; either way will work in this
recipe
*You can use a Fred’s Red, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, or Sangiovese
*The baking soda is used in this recipe to smooth out all the acid, chef’s best kept secret
*Angel hair pasta is my favorite for this dish but feel free to try all different pasta shapes
*If you cover your baking dish with foil and preheat in your oven while the oven is preheating, the eggplant
will not stick as much
*Serving sizes can vary depending on portion sizes