I absolutely love this sauce. It is a slow cooked masterpiece of flavor! I harvested more eggplants and tomatoes from my garden and couldn’t wait to get cooking. I also love, love, love saffron which really compliments the flavor of the eggplants.
I also love Sfoglini’s saffron pasta for a double saffron whammy but you can use any pasta that you have on hand. You can also drop a few strands into the pasta while it is cooking to infuse the pasta with the ethereal and delightful saffron flavor!
Cook the sauce slowly, over low heat, and get the pasta going toward the end. You can make it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat.
Pasta with Eggplant Saffron Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 big shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 regular size zucchini
- 1 regular size eggplant
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- saffron big pinch
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 12-24 cherry tomatoes
- pasta enough for two
- macadamia nuts for garnish
Instructions
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Thinly slice the shallot and press the garlic. Heat a sauce pot over low heat. Add olive oil and the shallots and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, a few minutes.
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Dice the zucchini and eggplant and add to the pot. Toss around and coat with the oil. Cook for a few minutes until bright in color. Add the tomato past and stir around. Add a big pinch of saffron and two cups of water.
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Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low. Place the cover on the pot but leave it open a bit. Cook for 40 to 45 minutes. If it seems like it is drying out, add more water. You are looking for a thick sauce to develop.
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Get the pasta going.
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Add the cherry tomatoes into the sauce and let them cook down while the pasta is cooking.
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Drain the pasta, reserving some pasta water, and toss with the sauce. Add some pasta water to thin it out for that extra special something.
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Grate a macadamia nut on a microplane over the top of the pasta. Enjoy!
Looks so delicious………..love to try it 🙂