smoky, saucy fire roasted eggplant and bell pepper pasta

it's giving pasta alla norma meets fish fragrant eggplant

the photos unfortunately don’t do the sauciness justice

“what grows together goes together” is a well-known phrase in cooking. it can be put to use in anywhere in the world, referencing that produce which grows together during a particular season can be successfully paired on one plate. many popular produce pairings from winter squash and apples to mushrooms and kale, zucchini and tomatoes to strawberry and rhubarb are direct examples of this expression in action.

the first spark that would become this recipe came simply from the pairing of eggplant and bell pepper, which—maybe it goes without saying—grow together. i love the way both vegetables can shed their blackened skins, hold a distinctly smoky flavor and turn silky in submission to the right amount of heat and fat. while i had lots of ideas for this pairing to start with, i wasn’t sure in which direction this recipe would go, so i sat on it for awhile, waiting for stronger hit of inspiration.

a peek into my photo album at the moment, lol

then, in my research, i found a recipe for warm eggplant with green peppers in the lucky peach presents 101 easy asian recipes cookbook with this headnote:

During the conceptualization phase of this book, we’d eat lunch around town in different restaurants, meeting about this or that issue, hammering out a schedule. This was a dish we ordered on a whim from a place called the Bao, which, at the moment I am typing this, serves the best xiao long bao in New York. Our Italian photographer immediately said this could be Italian, and it could. It could be from anywhere eggplants and peppers grow and go together.

this really helped me thread all my seemingly disconnected ideas into one clear recipe that combined flavors from both the sicilian and sichuan kitchens into a deeply savory, super saucy, smoky pasta that manages to have both pasta alla norma and fish fragrant eggplant vibes. obviously it’s not directly comparable to either, but i think if you’re familiar with them, after tasting this, you’ll see exactly what i mean.

the evolution from sauce to plate

the hardest part of making this pasta is fire roasting the vegetables. i have a gas stove, which i am helplessly attached to and will fight to never give up, but i know that’s not the case for most. i’ve written out the first step in a way that can be used by both us lucky ones with gas stoves or access to an open flame (lol i’m not actually sure what i could be referring to here, but i guess i just mean if you have a gas grill or an fire pit) as well as those without who can simply make use of their oven’s broiler with similar results.

the timing should work out to allow you to prep a little bit and get set up while you fire roast then steam the veg. once the water for the pasta is boiling and the vegetables are skinned and chopped, everything comes together super quickly. you could also fire roast, peel and chop the vegetables a day or two in advance if you want to save some time the day of.

i often include ideas for substitutions and swaps in my recipes because i’m a staunch advocate for viewing recipes as blueprints and using what you have access to, but for this recipe i think it really works best as written. of course you could swap in calabrian chili paste or gochujang for doubanjiang, red wine or rice wine vinegar for chinkiang black vinegar, cilantro or scallion for basil—but honestly, i think you’d be doing yourself a disservice. so in this case, i encourage you to seek out these ingredients if you don’t already have them; you won’t regret it.

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this time last year:

dill pickle brine biscuits

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smoky, saucy fire roasted eggplant and bell pepper pasta

serves 2

1 medium eggplant

1 green bell pepper (substitute: red, orange or yellow bell pepper)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic

salt

250 grams of your favorite dried pasta (i like cavatappi, spaghetti or rigatoni best here)

1 tablespoon doubanjiang (read about the fundamental sichuan ingredient here)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon dark or light soy sauce

1 tablespoon chinkiang black vinegar

1/4 teaspoon msg (optional)

large handful of fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

parmesan cheese, black pepper and/or sichuan peppercorns (optional)

1. fire roast the eggplant and bell pepper in one of two ways:

   1. if you have a gas stovetop or access to an open flame—pierce the eggplant all over with a fork. i like to lay some foil down on the stovetop to catch any dripping hot juices and make things easier to clean, but this isn’t necessary. use tongs to place the eggplant and bell pepper directly over the stovetop or open flame. set a timer for 5 minutes. once the timer goes off, turn the eggplant and pepper so another side has direct contact with the flame. the skin where the flame was previously should be charred black. continue until all sides of both vegetables are charred; it should take about 15-20 minutes total but this can be more or less depending on your set up. transfer the charred vegetables to a bowl and cover to steam and loosen the skins.

   2. if you don’t have a gas stovetop or access to an open flame—preheat your broiler as high as it can go. pierce the eggplant all over with a fork. arrange a foil-wrapped oven rack near the top of the oven, making sure there will be just enough room for the vegetables to be close to the broiler but not touching it. place the eggplant and bell pepper on the rack and set a timer for 5 minutes. once the timer goes off, turn the eggplant and pepper so another side has access to the broiler. the skin where the flame was previously should be charred black. continue until all sides of both vegetables are charred; it should take about 15-20 minutes. transfer the charred vegetables to a bowl and cover to steam and loosen the skins.

2. while the vegetables are fire roasting, broiling and/or steaming, set a pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. peel and thinly slice garlic. chop doubanjiang. add vegetable oil to a dutch oven or frying pan over low heat. fry garlic slices just until golden and crisp, then remove to a small bowl lined with a paper towel to drain and turn off the heat.

3. season the boiling water with plenty of salt and add the pasta. at this point the vegetables should be ready to peel. they will still be too hot to handle directly, so use tongs and a knife to scrape and peel the skins away and discard. roughly chop the flesh, removing and discarding the tops of both and the core of the pepper.

4. turn the heat back to low under the cutch oven or frying pan, then add the chopped doubanjiang and tomato paste to the oil and mix well to combine. add chopped vegetables, soy sauce, black vinegar, msg and just over half the basil to the doubanjiang and tomato mix and stir to combine. add a splash of the water from the pasta pot to loosen the sauce.

5. once the pasta is al dente, add to the sauce and toss really well to coat, adding a few splashes more of pasta water as desired to keep things super saucy; you can also add a small knob of butter if you so desire.

6. once well mixed and glossy, divide between two plates and serve topped with the remaining basil, crispy garlic chips, grated parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper. you can also finish with a little ground sichuan peppercorn. enjoy immediately.