Marios Eggplant Ragu Recipes

ROASTED EGGPLANT RAGU WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium high flame and roast the peppers until charred on all sides. Transfer to a bowl and cover with a lid or towel and allow to cool.
• Use a knife to poke the eggplant in a few places to help steam escape while roasting so the eggplants won't explode in your beautiful kitchen. Please poke them :-)
• You can use the same skillet you roasted the peppers on to cook the eggplants or broil both the peppers and eggplants until charred. Allow them to charr nicely on all sides then transfer to a bowl until cool enough to handle.
• Use your hands to remove the peels from both the roasted peppers and eggplants and discard the core.
• Transfer to a cutting board and dice the peppers. Finely chop the eggplant and set aside until needed. (Alternatively you can use a food processor if you prefer a smooth texture, we like it more rustic).
• Preheat a large skillet or pot over medium flame. Add a splash of water and saute the onion until translucent. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook another minute or so until you can smell the fragrance.
• Stir in the smoked paprika, oregano and mushrooms and cook a few minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add in the roasted peppers, eggplant and the San Marzano tomatoes together with the red wine. Give everything a good stir and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes on low flame until the sauce has reduced and thickened to your liking. Season to taste with the sea salt.

EGGPLANT RAGù WITH CAPERS AND BURRATA

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until onions start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until lightly caramelized, another 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
• Use your hands to break up the tomatoes in the can, squishing them into the skillet. Pour in the tomato juices. Fill tomato can halfway with water and stir that water into the skillet. Add half the basil leaves, season with salt and black pepper to taste, and red-pepper flakes, then simmer vigorously until tomatoes break down and sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the broiler, and place the rack 4 inches from the heat source.
• Cube 1 1/2 of the eggplants into 1 1/4-inch cubes (about 7 cups). Save remaining half an eggplant for garnish. Arrange cubed eggplant in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss eggplant thoroughly with remaining 4 tablespoons oil, then season to taste with salt.
• Broil eggplant until browned on one side, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the pieces and broil until browned and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. (If your eggplant starts to burn, move the baking sheet to a lower rack.)
• To make the garnish of eggplant slices, slice remaining eggplant lengthwise into long, thin 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place flour on a plate, and generously coat both sides of each eggplant slice.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees. Fry eggplant, in batches, until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through. Transfer to a separate paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt.
• In a medium bowl, fold together burrata and ricotta.
• To serve, gently stir broiled eggplant into tomato sauce until evenly coated. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the eggplant is warmed through. Transfer to serving bowls, and spoon burrata mixture on top. Garnish with remaining basil leaves, crisp eggplant slices and the capers if you like.

RAGÚ® NO-FRYING EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bread crumbs in medium bowl.
• Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, then bread crumbs. Arrange eggplant slices in single layer on lightly oiled baking sheets. Bake until eggplant is golden, about 25 minutes.
• Evenly spread 1 cup Sauce in 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Layer ½ of the baked eggplant slices, then 1 cup Sauce and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; repeat layers. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes.
• Remove foil and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

MARIO'S EGGPLANT RAGU

Steps:

• Sprinkle the eggplant with 1 tablespoon salt and drain in a colander for 30 minutes. Rinse, pat dry and cut in 1/4-inch dice.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the eggplant, peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cover. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and cook, uncovered, stirring, for 5 minutes. Season with 1 tablespoon salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the basil and let sit for 5 minutes before serving with pasta or polenta.

MORGAN'S VEGGIE RAGU

Steps:

• 1.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• 2.Place the eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, bell pepper, fennel, celery, carrot, onion, kale, garlic, chili flakes, basil, marjoram, and oregano in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Spread the vegetables out on two large roasting pans and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes, until well charred. Spoon the crushed tomatoes over the vegetables and bake until browned and bubbly, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• 3.Working in batches, place the vegetables in a food processor and process until the vegetables are well broken down into a chunky-sauce consistency.

FRESH EGG PASTA - MARIO BATALI

Steps:

• Pile the larger amount of flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board or countertop. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, oil, and any flavoring agents you desire (herbs, spices, tomato paste, etc).
• Using a fork, beat the eggs and oil together, slowly incorporating flour from the walls of the well. As you expand the well, keep pushing the outside of the mound up to maintain the well shape.
• Once about half the flour is incorporated, the dough will begin to come together. From this point, start working the mass with your hands, using mostly the palms.
• Once the flour is fully incorporated and the mass is cohesive, remove the dough from the board and scrape the board clean. Dust the board lightly with flour and knead for 6 minutes, dusting when necessary. The dough should be elastic, and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 min at room temperature.
• Roll out dough using a rolling pin or pasta machine. Cut into desired shapes and cook as required by the shape. Strand pastas like fettuccini, spaghetti and linguini only need to cook 2-4 minutes. For cannelloni, lasagne or ravioli, cook as per the recipe.

ITALIAN EGGPLANT RAGOUT

Steps:

• Scoop out center and seeds of eggplant halves. Cut eggplants into 3/4 inch dice. Toss with salt in bowl and let it stand for at least 20 minutes. Drain off the fluid that collects, rinse well, and pat dry.
• Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and saute until softened (about 5 minutes.) Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, and eggplants. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes, or until eggplants are tender but not mushy.
• Stir in capers and sugar, and cook 2 minutes more. Fold in parsley, and season with black pepper.