Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound Japanese eggplants (regular works, too), diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 red onion, thickly sliced
- 1 pinch kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 teaspoons white miso
- 4 teaspoons mirin (non-alcoholic)
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1/2 pound spaghetti
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a quarter sheet pan, toss together the eggplant, red onion, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until charred at the edges.
2. Meanwhile, in a small dish, stir together the miso, mirin, vinegar, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.
3. About 15 minutes into the vegetables’ roasting time, bring a pot of water to a boil, salt generously, then cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain.
4. In the same pot over low heat, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and garlic and stir about 30 seconds, or until garlic is fragrant. Add the miso-mirin mixture, stirring 30 seconds more to caramelize miso. Toss the drained spaghetti into this, cooking over the heat and stirring constantly until well-coated in the garlicky miso. At this step you can add a 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid if your pasta gets too dry.
5. Gently stir in the roasted eggplant and red onion. Garnish with scallions.
*Recipe adapted from Bobbi Lin at Food52
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