Roasted Eggplant, Poblano & Garlic Marinara
This recipe calls for chicken stock, but you can use vegetable stock, reconstituted boullion, or just plain water if you want to go completely vegetarian/vegan. If you’d like it a little spicier, add a jalapeno or two to the mix. And if I were you, I would roast an extra head of garlic while you’re at it, for spreading on bread and snacking while you cook!
Ingredients
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut eggplant in half. Drizzle cut sides with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down onto a baking sheet and pop them into the oven to roast for about 25 minutes or until the skin is crinkly and the eggplant is soft to the touch.
Slice the top off the garlic heads and drizzle cut side with olive oil. Place garlic into ceramic roaster if you have one. Or if you are like me and can't find where you last placed your ceramic garlic roaster, just create a little foil packet for your garlic-- does the same trick! Close up your packet so the steam stays inside and place into 425 degree oven with the eggplant. Garlic is done when the insides look golden and are as soft as butter.
While eggplant and garlic are roasting merrily away, turn your attention to the poblanos. If you have a gas stove, you can fire-roast them over the open flame on your burners like this:
Blackened skin on the peppers is A-ok. You're going to peel the skin off them, anyway.
If you don't have a gas stove, don't fret. Just put your peppers into a pan and put them in your 425 degree oven. For mine, I blackened them on the stovetop AND put them in the oven to get them nice and soft. The object is for them to be completely soft, so that the skin will slough off into your hand. When they are cool enough to touch, peel and remove stems, seeds and veins.
When your eggplant is cool enough to touch, grab a big spoon and scoop the insides into a food processor or blender, and puree.
Add peppers and squeeze out garlic into food pro, and puree.
Pour all of the veggie puree into a large soup pot on medium heat.
Add chicken stock and stir. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato puree and stir.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
Boil your favorite pasta, al dente, and serve while hot! I like to use a pasta with lines, and preferably a fun curly one like cellentani, pictured here. This pasta shape grips your sauce in three ways: the lines hold the sauce, the sauce gets into the tubular middle, and the squiggles catch sauce too. This dish is all about featuring the sauce, so make sure your pasta is on point!
Serve with grated or shredded cheese (pecorino or parmesan, please) and mangia!
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