Pasta with Eggplant and Sausage

Method

1. Cut the eggplants into 1 cm thick strips, then dice into cubes.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the eggplant cubes gradually to maintain temperature. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, not fully cooked.
3. Add basil and mint (or wild fennel seeds) to the eggplant, mix, then remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Remove the casing from the sausage (or salamella) and crumble it well.
5. In the same pan, add olive oil, whole crushed garlic cloves, chili pepper, basil, mint (or fennel). Add the crumbled sausage and cook for 5-6 minutes over medium heat, crumbling it further until the fat renders. Remove the garlic.
6. Optionally add turmeric and pepper. Deglaze with dry white wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Optionally add nutmeg.
7. Add the cherry tomatoes (cut in halves or quarters) and cook briefly until they release flavor.
8. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 1 minute less than package time.
9. When the pasta is 3 minutes from being done, add the reserved eggplant to the pan.
10. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with a splash of pasta water if needed. Finish cooking the pasta in the pan, stirring to create a creamy sauce.
11. Turn off the heat, add fresh basil and mint leaves, a drizzle of raw olive oil, and toss gently. After a moment, add the grated Parmesan (or Grana Padano) and mix well.
12. Serve immediately.