very veggie bolognese with fresh pappardelle

After 2 straights weeks of sun in santa cruz (heavenly, divine, glorious sun), it's started to rain, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop. while this doesn't please me, per se, it doesn't rile me, either. it's hard to get work done when it's 75 degrees and sunny outside, and I was having a hard time getting excited about beets and carrots when my whole being was yelling strawberries and corn on the cob. so in honor of today's drizzly forecast, jake and I bundled up (read: scarf, no coat. god I'm going to miss this.) and headed to the farmer's market to make a vegetarian bolognese to go with the fresh pappardelle we bought after tasting wine and eating cheese this saturday in scott's valley. yeah, I know: tough life.


seeing as the recipe I found on epicurious called for almost 3 pounds of meat (all of which sounded delicious, but jake is a non-carnivore), my task was to create a vegetarian-friendly version of the sauce that didn't lack any of the flavor and robustness I think of from a perfect-for-a-rainy-night bolognese. so I went mushroom and eggplant. it was an experiment, to be sure, but Jake declared it "one of the best things you've ever made," so that was nice. the mushrooms were these lovely, velvety shitakes; you could cut theses things with a butter knife if you wanted. the sauce passed the final test, which is that jake, an admitted over-salter, didn't reach for the salt shaker once. and I had seconds. but that's really not rare at all.

my version of the ingredients:

1 1/2 large onions, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
3 medium carrots, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup + 2 or so tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 japanese eggplant, unpeeled and sliced
approx. 1/2 lb. shitake mushrooms, sliced
5 or so peeled tomatoes and juices (I used these)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup red wine
1 cup water
fresh rosemary
copious salt + and not so copious pepper
1 lb fresh pappardelle (we got ours here)

what I did:

Cook onions, celery, carrot, and garlic in oil in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 15 minutes.

Briefly saute eggplant in olive oil, salt to taste, and add to the pot. Repeat with the mushrooms.

Let simmer and hang out for a while with the onions and co. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in tomatoes, milk, wine, water, and rosemary and gently* simmer, covered, until sauce is thickened, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.**

* I simmered rather aggressively on a high heat because my boyfriend gets cranky when he gets hungry, and he was hungry.
** or, about 30 minutes, if you have a cranky dinner partner.