Don’t get me wrong, I love a good recipe challenge. I am, after all, the woman who once spent 15 hours recreating this cake, the same one who tested her savory pumpkin pie recipe at least 5 times before posting. When life allows, there’s little I enjoy more than an afternoon puttering about the kitchen. But lately, these days don’t allow; I’m mixing the run-up to the holidays with a job search, trying to balance the two and only sometimes succeeding. My schedule fluctuates from quiet enough that I have ample time to spend on recipe development to so busy that I barely have time for lunch. I believe there’s room in life for both complex cooking projects and simple ones; I hope there will always be days when I have enough time to craft edible art, just as I know that there will always be days when the only goal is to feed myself, now.
This eggplant ragout falls somewhere between those extremes: it’s easy to throw together, but good enough to serve to friends. It can be ready relatively quickly, in just over an hour, or simmer longer while you catch up on other tasks. Best of all, it makes a substantial amount (and can easily be doubled, if you have a big enough pot), so you’ll have ready meals for busy days.
Eggplant Ragout
Source: I Thought There Would Be Free Food
Serves 4–6 people
Active time: ~30 minutes; total time +75 minutes
Note: For a not veg friendly but equally delicious take, sauté a pound of sausage (“Italian”-flavored turkey or chicken sausage does well here) with the onion and then proceed with the recipe as written.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion, about 4 ounces (enough to yield ~1 cup, finely diced)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 good-sized fresh rosemary sprigs (enough to yield at least 1 tablespoon, minced)
- 1 large eggplant, about 1 pound
- Olive oil
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup red wine (or vegetable stock, if you prefer)
- Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste
Directions:
- Prep your ingredients: finely chop the onion; mince the garlic and rosemary; and cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch cubes. Set each ingredient to the side as you finish before moving onto the next.
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. When the pot is warm, add enough olive oil to thinly coat the bottom; once the oil is warm, add your onion and sauté until it starts to become translucent. Add the garlic and cook briefly before adding the eggplant. Stir the onion-garlic-eggplant mixture well, then add the rest of the ingredients. Don’t forget to taste the sauce several times as it simmers, adjusting the seasonings as needed.
- Simmer your ragout on medium-low or low heat for at least 45 minutes, or until the sauce is somewhat reduced and the eggplant is tender and meaty. Give it a stir every once in awhile to make sure the ragout doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. If it does, reduce the heat and add more liquid—wine, water, or vegetable stock will all work.
- Serve the ragout with polenta or pasta. Enjoy the leftovers as they are, or turn them into a riff on shakshuka.