Homemade Fusilli with Eggplant Sauce

 Ingredients: Pasta: 150 g of durum wheat flour, about 75 ml of warm water (depends on how much water the flour needs to obtain a soft but not sticky dough, like playdough) a pinch of salt. Sauce: a small can of tomato pulp, 2 cloves of garlic, oil, salt, pepper, dried marjoram, 1 eggplant (I used a light purple round variety, but any seedless eggplant will work).

Knead the dough with patience and passion, transforming it into a perfect ball, which we carefully wrap in plastic wrap. We let it rest for about 30 minutes on the work surface to allow the gluten to relax and become easier to roll out. After this period, it’s time to transform the dough into a thin sheet, about 2 mm thick. With a sharp knife or a cutting wheel, we cut the dough into long pieces of 10 cm and 4-5 mm wide.

We use a stick, which can be a simple chopstick or a thick skewer, to wrap each piece of dough. We start from one end of the ribbon and move slowly, forming an airy spiral, so that the step of the spiral is well defined, like a screw thread. Once we finish wrapping, we place the stick on the work surface. With the palm of our hand, without applying too much pressure, we gently roll it back and forth to give the desired shape. Then, carefully, we slide the pasta off the stick, ensuring the spiral keeps its shape. We place the pasta on a clean surface or a napkin and let them dry for at least an hour. If you choose to dry them on a wooden board, turn each piece to dry evenly, or use cloths to allow air circulation.

While the pasta dries, we turn our attention to the sauce. The eggplants are sliced thinly, which are then divided into quarters or cubes, depending on preference. The eggplant slices are placed in a colander, where we generously sprinkle salt to help them release excess water and bitterness. After a few minutes, we rinse the eggplants and pat them dry with a napkin. It’s best to fry them, but we can also grill or sauté them in a non-stick pan, depending on preference.

Once the eggplants are fried and browned, we remove them from the pan. In the remaining oil, we add the flesh of fresh tomatoes, along with two whole cloves of garlic and a pinch of salt. We let the sauce simmer over medium heat, covered, until it thickens. Once the sauce reaches the desired consistency, we remove the garlic cloves and incorporate the fried eggplants. We sprinkle pepper and marjoram, mix everything carefully, and keep the sauce warm on the stove.

In a separate pot, we bring salted water to a boil and, once it boils, we add the dried pasta. We boil the pasta for about 5 minutes, or until they rise to the surface. It’s important to taste the pasta to ensure they are not overcooked. Once they are ready, we drain them carefully and mix them with the flavorful sauce, ensuring that each spiral of dough is covered with the delicious eggplant and tomato mixture. This dish, full of textures and flavors, will surely be appreciated by everyone at the table.

 Tags:  garlic tomatoes flour oil eggplant lactose-free recipes vegetarian recipes