A tomato is summer: gorged with sun, ridiculously voluptuous, drunk on stillness and time.
Its heft in the hand is a promise. It has grown fat from a life of leisure; maybe you could, too. Its skin catches the light like a balloon’s. Cut it open, and there’s a sigh. Inside are shadowy crevices, hordes of juice. You half eat, half drink it.
But – it feels like sacrilege to confess – I like tomatoes best in winter. Every year I take New Jersey heirlooms, cook them into a delicious sauce to be frozen for later. In the winter, these frozen sauces bring me comfort and I delight in watching their stores of sunshine breaking down into warm comfort food.
They bring a memory of brightness to the long dark.
I love this recipe because it saves a little extra piece of summer with the addition of eggplant. I hope you make a trip to the farmers market this weekend, load up on summer fresh tomatoes and eggplant and save a little summer with this glorious recipe. Enjoy!
Tomato Eggplant Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1-pound ripe tomatoes – I used yellow Heirlooms for this recipe
- One 12-ounce eggplant (unpeeled), cut into 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch by 3-inch strips
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt, or more as needed
- 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed
- 1 small handful fresh oregano, or more as needed
- 12 – fresh basil leaves, torn
Directions:
- Heat the oil in a wide, deep-sided sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, 30 seconds, then add the eggplant, 1/2 tsp. of the salt and the pepper. Partially cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring often, or until soft, allowing the liquid from the lid to drip into the eggplant if it seems dry.
- Use a fork to crush the eggplant in the pan to a chunky consistency, then add the tomatoes and the teaspoon of fresh oregano. Increase the heat to medium; cook uncovered for 10 to 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick (the cooking time will depend on how juicy your tomatoes are). Stir in the basil and remove from heat.
- Cool completely and store in a tightly sealed freezer for up to 6 months.
When ready to use sauce:
- Defrost Eggplant and Tomato Sauce in a large pan.
- Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta of choice and cook according to the package directions (al dente), about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce in the pan and add just enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to create a sauce that coats the pasta.
- Taste, and add more salt and/or pepper and oregano, as needed.
- Serve hot, dusted with the cheese.