A Great Eggplant Recipe

One of the best vegetarian recipes that is full of flavor. It is also quite beneficial for the health. Here the eggplant is cooked with mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and garlic and flavored with vinegar, chives, tomato sauce, red wine, oregano, salt and pepper to make a gourmet sauce. This is excellent for pasta shells or even rice. These vegetarian recipes can be included in your weekly family menu as it makes a light and healthy meal. This colorful and delightful dish is best enjoyed with a good glass of the perfect wine companion the red wine like Merlot of Pinot Noir.

In this healthy recipe, various flavors meld together to make an unforgettable tasting dish. The tanginess of the vinegar enhances the tomato sauce. The sweet peppers are the ones that balance the tart. To make your mouth water chives, onions, garlic and hot peppers give the dish just the right amount of spice. Mushrooms, on the other hand, give delicate and earthy flavor and a wonderful texture in the palate. It is the wine that gives a depth flavor and exquisite aroma. The wine also deepens the color of the red sauce and makes the dish look elegant. The eggplant, which is the star of this dish, turns silky, sour and sweet that makes this dish a memorable experience.

The eggplant turns sweet when cooked especially when combined with the peppers and the onions. When it comes to how the eggplant is cooked, some like their eggplant firm and with some texture. Others like it really cooked almost to the point of melting. In this recipe, the eggplant is cooked until soft so that it melts in the mouth. The pasta is cooked separately. It is then combined with the sauce later on. You can peel the skin of the eggplant to make it even silkier. But the skin contains substantial nutrition so it is also good to keep them on the eggplant. It is the skin that adds texture and body to the sauce.

Ingredients

2 cups pasta shells

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup vinegar

1 large sized, peeled and cubed eggplant

1 finely chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1 chopped green bell pepper –

1/2 cup chives - chopped

2 tablespoon garlic - finely chopped/minced

1 each tomato - medium sized, chopped

4 tablespoon tomato sauce

4 tablespoon oregano

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

1/4 cup red wine

1. Cover pasta shells in water and cook in a saucepan according to package directions.

2. Add water and vinegar in a separate saucepan, and bring it to a simmer. Then add chopped eggplant, onion, chives, garlic, green peppers, and mushrooms. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

3. Drain when vegetables are cooked then add to the cooked pasta along with tomato sauce, oregano, salt, pepper, and red wine. On low temperature stir and heat gently.