Arrabiata

Eating company bento everyday gets palatably exhausting after a month or so, and I find myself craving tomatoes, wheat, and cheese. Luckily, everyone can eat pasta. and over here Arrabiata is pretty much the standard (actually meat sauce is the standard, but I won't eat that.　

Now strangely growing up, my family never encouraged making one's own pasta sauce. what with the plethora of Muir Glenn and the like at my co-op why would you bother.

Pasta choices are somewhat less here (read meat sauce) and expensive (not paying $4 dollars for an 8oz jar of ragu) I started making my own. For best results, use the vacuum sealed boxes of tomatoes.

My Arrabiata:

1 can of whole peeled tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 (asian) eggplant
2 shitake mushrooms
1 dried red pepper
red wine, to taste
seasoned sea salt, to taste
thyme, to taste
basil (fresh if you've got it), to taste

drain tomatoes, saving juice in a seperate container, set aside.Cut eggplant into long thins cubes about 1cm wide. chop mushrooms.

In a frypan,heat olive oil, crush one clove of garlic. Immediately add eggplant, and saute until the eggplant becomes evenly saturated. Add mushrooms. There should be some residual oil in the pan

Add tomatoes crushing until sauce consistancy. crush remaining clove of garlic in sauce, and add salt, wine, thyme, and basil. With a scissors cut the red pepper and seeds into thin strips, and directly into the pan.

Put sauce into blender and pulse until the sauce is consistant but still chunky, return to pan. Add tomato juice until sauce is desired consistancy. Add 2 cups of pasta dirctly to pan combining sauce and pasta. serve.