Rigatoni with aubergine, sausage and Zinfandel

Posted by Darby on April 9, 2009 under Main, Sauces, Zinfandel | Be the First to Comment

Here is a Zinfandel food pairing suggestion from food and wine writer Fiona Beckett.

This is a really robust pasta dish from Fiona who has her own regularly updated site www.matchingfoodandwine.com

The Zin gives a richer, more warming flavour than the usual tomato-based sauce, Fiona says.

You can use rigatoni, penne or similar pasta in this recipe.

Ingredients: Serves 4

Food Wine and Friends by Fiona Beckett

Food Wine and Friends by Fiona Beckett

  • 350g Italian sausages or other coarsely ground 100% pork sausages
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium aubergine/eggplant (about 250-300g) cut into cubes
  • 1 medium onion (about 150g), peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 medium red pepper (about 150g), de-seeded and cut into roughly 2 cm
  • squares
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 1 rounded tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 level tsp dried oregano
  • 175ml zinfandel or other full bodied fruity red wine
  • 175ml fresh chicken or light vegetable stock made with a teaspoon of
  • vegetable bouillon powder
  • 350g dried rigatoni or penne pasta
  • 4 heaped tbsp freshly chopped parsley
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Slit the sausage skins with a sharp knife, peel off the skin and chop the sausage meat roughly. In a large frying pan or wok heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil and brown the sausage meat breaking it up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add another 2 tbsp of oil to the pan and stir fry the aubergine for 3-4 minutes till it starts to brown. Add the remaining oil and chopped onion and fry for a couple of minutes then add the red pepper and fry for another minute or two.

Return the sausage meat to the pan, stir in the tomato puree and cook for a minute then add the garlic, oregano and Zinfandel. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half then add the stock, stir, and leave over a low heat to simmer while you cook the pasta following the instructions on the pack.

When the pasta is just cooked spoon off a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water into the sauce then drain the pasta thoroughly and tip it into the sauce along with 3 tablespoons of the parsley.

Mix well together and leave off the heat for 2-3 minutes for the flavours to amalgamate. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the pasta and sauce into warm bowls and sprinkle with a little of the remaining parsley. You could also sprinkle over some grated parmesan if you like though I’m not sure that it needs it.

Recommended wine match:

Given you’ve got a bottle of Zinfandel open that would be the obvious match but you could also drink a southern Italian red like a Primitivo or a Syrah.

More about Zinfandel in Australia