Ziti with Shrimp and Roasted Eggplant Sauce

Ziti with Shrimp and Roasted Eggplant Sauce
Originally uploaded by whatstepheats

Summer is winding down. How do I know this? Aside from the crisp air and changing angle of the sun, the bags of produce given to me by friends is a dead giveaway.
Since we are going to Portugal next week, using and/or preserving all these beautiful fruits and veggies has been a priority. Yesterday the mood struck and I started roasting peppers and eggplants.
As the smells permeated the air, I was reminded of a roasted eggplant pasta sauce I used to make. Somehow, this versatile recipe fell from my rotation. I think the last time I had made it was back in 2000, when I last grew my own eggplant. Well, suffice it to say it's back!
This sauce is very easy and makes your whole house smell intoxicatingly delicious. The recipe makes plenty - you could easily give a quart away or stash the rest in the freezer.
Last night I served this with some shrimp I simply broiled with lemon zest, garlic and parsley. The sauce would go just as well with chicken or even some goat cheese instead of the shrimp.

Roasted Eggplant Sauce

3 medium eggplants

-Stab each eggplant several times with a knife; drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and roast at 400 on a foil-lined sheet pan for about 45 minutes or until tender. When cool enough to touch, scoop flesh from eggplants with a spoon and set aside. Discard skin.

olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 head garlic, minced (or to taste)
1 large tomato, blanched, peeled, and chunked
1 medium zucchini, grated
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1/2 to 3/4 c. dry white wine
water - approx. 1 c.
fresh flat leaf parsley

Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large pot. Add onion and zucchini, saute over medium-high heat until somewhat softened but not browned. Add garlic, saute a couple minutes more. Add red pepper flakes, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Add reserved eggplant and cook for a couple minutes. You will notice the mixture beginning to stick to the pan and brown. As soon as this happens, deglaze the pan with the wine. Cook for several minutes until you no longer smell alcohol. Add the water and cook for another 20 minutes or so. Toward the end of cooking, add chunked tomato and a generous amout of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley. You should be able to tell when the sauce is ready because it will just smell so good. Adjust seasonings, and serve with pasta.

I added a squeeze of lemon juice at the end as well. I also mixed about a pound of broiled shrimp with the 1.5 lbs. of pasta I had cooked. It would be great with grilled chicken, and also some form of cheese if you are not serving with seafood.



I hope this recipe is clear enough; feel free to ask questions if some step is not. It's hard to quantify something that I usually improvise!
I'd love to hear stories from you if you try any variation of this basic recipe.