Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplant
- 1 large shallot (or small yellow onion)
- 1 tbsp butter (if vegan, omit)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 fennel bulb
- 7 cloves black garlic
- ⅓ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ½ tsp salt scant (just under)
- ⅓ cup green olives
- 1 lb fresh pappardelle pasta (or other pasta)
- Toppings: parm cheese / breadcrumbs (optional)
Instructions
- Roast whole eggplants on a parchment or foil-lined sheet pan, at 400 degrees, until roasted + very soft inside. Around 45 min- 1 hour. A knife should easily slice into it. Cut in half and let cool for a few minutes.
- While the eggplant is roasting, roughly chop shallots (they are getting blended), and sauté in butter + olive oil for 5-7 minutes, until soft. No salt.
- Scoop out the flesh of the eggplant, leaving the skin. It should be about 1.5 cups worth. A little under/over is fine. Add to a blender with coconut milk, shallots/butter, 5 of the garlic cloves + salt. Blend for 10-15 seconds, so it’s creamy, but still a little textured. Set aside.
- Heat up a large pot of salted water (2-3 tbsp salt) and prepare to cook pasta.
- Thinly slice fennel bulb– a mandolin is ideal, but you can obviously use a knife. Sauté on medium in a large, deep frying pan with a little olive oil until soft (about 7-10 min). Turn to low and add in the eggplant mixture + roughly chopped olives. Thinly slice remaining 2 garlic cloves + add. Stir to combine.
- Cook pasta al dente (save a little pasta water in case), drain, and add to sauce pan. Add extra pasta water if needed. Gently stir to incorporate everything. Serve with parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs.
Notes
Tip: make the sauce ahead of time for an even quicker weeknight meal. It will stay good in the fridge for 3 days.