For our birthdays this year, my sister, husband, and I went to Vegas for the When We Were Young concert! We saw Blink 182, Good Charlotte (with a guest appearance from Lil Wayne!!!), Green Day, and many many others. We lost a lot of money gambling (mainly Roulette) and I can’t wait to go back when I’m a millionaire and losing money doesn’t matter anymore (wishful or more like delusional thinking huh?). While we were in Vegas we stopped by Amalfi by Bobby Flay for dinner! As a huge Beat Bobby Flay fan and fellow Calabrian chili lover, we were pretty excited to try his food. We tried a delicious Sungold pasta, crispy potatoes, and Caesar salad but our favorite had to be his Eggplant Bolognese. And none of us are huge eggplant fans! I found this recipe from him on the Food Network and although it isn’t exactly like the one we had, I made a few changes to get it as close as possible. I add a dollop of ricotta and basil oil to finish because that’s how he serves it at his restaurant. If you have any tips for eggplant bolognese let me know!

Ingredients 

• 6 baby Italian eggplants (see note)
• 1/2 cup of Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large Spanish or yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 1 small stalk celery, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced into a paste
• 1 cup dry red wine, I use Beaujolais
• Two 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes and their juices, preferably San Marzano
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of Calabrian chili paste, depending on your desired spice level
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves or basil oil (see note)
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano
• 1 pound Orecchiette pasta cooked al dente in salted water plus 1 cup of reserved pasta water
• 1/4 to 3/4 cup of whole milk Ricotta (use more or less depending on your preference)

Directions  

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Peel the eggplants lengthwise in about 1-inch intervals to create stripes and then cut into ½ dice.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 3 tablespoons of Olive oil. Add half the eggplant and season with salt and pepper, stir continuously, and cook until the eggplant begins to brown and become soft, about 5 minutes or so. Remove the eggplant from the pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (see note). Repeat with another 3 tablespoons of Olive oil and the rest of the eggplant. Add all the eggplant to the baking sheet and spread into an even layer. 
4. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, flipping once, and then remove the eggplant from the oven and let the pan cool on a wire wrack. You can do this the day before you make the pasta if you like. Let it cool to room temperature and then store it in Tupperware in the fridge. 
5. Now we’ll prepare the sauce. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven or wide pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two, stirring the whole time. 
6. Add the wine and bring it to a boil and then let the wine cook until completely reduced. This should take about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, and a couple of big pinches of salt, bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, around 15 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash the tomatoes and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. Bobby said this should take 15 minutes but it took around 25 for me. 
7. If you’re going to blend or puree the sauce you can do so now. You can use an immersion blender, blender, or food processor. You may need to work in batches and be careful that the sauce isn’t too hot before adding it. 
8. While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and then cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and reserve at least a cup of pasta water. 
9. Once the sauce is done, add the eggplant, basil (only if you’re not using basil oil at the end), and oregano, along with some of the reserved pasta water. Toss in the pasta, and more pasta water as needed. Stir in the freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and Calabrian chili paste. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. I like to serve this pasta (like he does at his restaurant) with a big dollop of ricotta in the middle and basil oil. Toss one last time before eating so the ricotta evenly distributes. Or if you’re feeling fancy, you can top each bowl with a little ricotta and basil oil.

Notes

• EGGPLANT: Wouldn’t it be great if we could find Italian eggplants?? I think I saw them once and then never again, but if you can find them then I’m very jealous! I grab the smallest eggplants I can find and use about 2 to 4 depending on how small they are.
• ROASTING THE EGGPLANT: I always line my baking sheet with parchment paper because I don’t want to ruin my life with difficult dishes, but I suspect the eggplant would get crisper without it.
• PUREEING THE SAUCE: In Bobby Flay’s Food Network recipe, he doesn’t blend or puree the sauce, but when we had it at his restaurant it seemed like he did. You can leave it how it is with the texture of the carrots, onion, tomatoes, etc. or you can blend it. Or try it both ways and see what you prefer! We do prefer a smoother sauce most of the time.
• BASIL OIL: I made a small batch of basil oil with about 1/4 cup of basil and a couple of tablespoons of oil. I looked at recipes online and they said to blanch the basil first. I thought I didn’t need to do that but the basil will be slightly bitter if you don’t so I will next time. I seasoned it with a little salt. You can add as much or as little oil as you like to get the consistency you want. I blended it in a small blender until smooth but still slightly chunky.