Shannon Martinez' explosive Calabrian spaghetti is a fiery pasta dish best paired with a flavoursome Chardonnay or a medium-bodied red wine like a Barbera.
Ingredients
50ml + 150ml extra virgin olive oil
4 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
7 cloves garlic, peeled chopped
50g capers in brine, drained
100g–150g red chillies (add more or less depending on how spicy you want it – technically you should be using Calabrian chillies)
300g eggplant (approx. 1 small eggplant), peeled and roughly chopped
20g dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated and roughly chopped
50ml vegan fish sauce (optional)
2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
500g red capsicum, de-seeded and roughly chopped,
100ml red wine vinegar
500g dried spaghetti
Recipe by Shannon Martinez
Photography by Carmen Zammit
Method
1. In a food processor, add the shallots, garlic, capers and chillies. Pulse until finely chopped, but not quite a paste. Scrape out into a bowl.
2. Add the eggplant and mushrooms to the food processor and pulse until it’s finely minced. Then place into another bowl.
3. Finally, add the capsicum to the food processor and pulse until finely minced.
4. Heat a heavy, shallow Dutch oven or deep frying pan over medium heat then add the 50ml oil. Add the shallot, garlic, caper and chilli mixture along with a large pinch of salt and cook until beginning to soften. Approx. 2–3 mins.
5. Next, add the eggplant and porcini mushrooms plus another large pinch of salt and fry for a further 5 mins or until the eggplant begins to collapse.
6. If using, pour over the vegan fish sauce, then add the fennel seeds and oregano.
7. Add the capsicum to the pan and stir well to combine. Cook over a medium-low heat for 30–45 mins, stirring regularly until most of the moisture has been cooked out and you have a fairly thick mixture.
8. While the sauce is reducing, place a large pot of heavily salted water on to boil and cook the spaghetti per packet instructions.
9. Once the pasta is almost cooked, pour the vinegar into the sauce, stir well, then take off the heat.
10. Stir through the extra oil (150ml) and season to taste. If you have any remaining sauce, place in a sealable container topped with oil and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
11. When ready to serve, add the cooked pasta straight from the pot into the pan that’s been cooking the sauce. Add a few splashes of the water from the pasta pot and toss well to coat over medium heat.
12. To serve, top with grated Parmesan cheese of your choice.
Wine Match
Chardonnay
Barbera