Sausage and Eggplant Ragù with Pasta
A short ragù that behaves like a long one: sausage browned properly, eggplant collapsed into it, cherry tomatoes burst on their own steam. An anchovy melted in early does the work of an afternoon on the stove.
Ingredients
- sausage, casings removedabout 3/4 lb, defrosted in the fridge or under cold running water
- eggplant1 medium, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- cherry tomatoes2 generous cups
- salt-packed anchovies2 fillets, rinsed well and patted dry
- garlic3 cloves, sliced
- chicken stock3/4 cup
- olive oil3 tbsp, plus more for the eggplant
- pasta6-8 oz, something with ridges or a twist
- fetaa good handful, crumbled
- red pepper flakesa pinch, if you want it
- salt and black pepperto taste
Method
Put the pasta water on and salt it well. Toss the eggplant cubes with a little salt and set aside while you start the sausage — it draws out water so they brown instead of steam.
Watch for
Beads of moisture on the cut faces after 10 minutes.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. Break the sausage in and leave it alone until one side is properly browned, then break it up coarsely. Scoop it out, leaving the fat behind.
Watch for
Deep brown crust, not grey — and don't crowd it into a single wet mass.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp oil and the eggplant, patted dry. Cook over medium-high, stirring rarely, until browned in patches and giving way when pressed, 7-9 minutes. Eggplant drinks oil at first and gives it back later — resist adding more.
Watch for
Edges gone golden and the cubes slumping slightly.
Lower the heat, add the garlic, anchovies and pepper flakes. Stir until the anchovies dissolve entirely, about a minute.
Watch for
The fillets break apart and disappear; the pan smells savory rather than fishy.
Add the cherry tomatoes and the stock, return the sausage, and simmer briskly. Press a few tomatoes with a spoon to start them off. Cook 8-10 minutes while the pasta boils.
Watch for
Skins split, the liquid turns from watery to glossy and lightly clinging.
Drain the pasta a minute shy of done, reserving a cup of the water. Add it to the pan with a splash of pasta water and toss hard for a minute so the sauce grips.
Watch for
Sauce coating each piece rather than pooling at the bottom.
Off the heat, taste for salt — the anchovy and feta both bring some. Crumble feta over and serve.