Recommendations

Hard-Roasted Pears

Name: Tomato Pasta with Eggplant and Sausage (on the side)
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more; 1 pound sausage of your choosing; 1 pound eggplant, fennel or zucchini, chopped; 1 red or yellow onion, sliced (not too thin); Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper; 1 24-ounce jar tomato sauce, puree, or can of crushed tomatoes; Fresh or dried oregano, optional; Crushed red pepper flakes, optional; 2 cloves garlic, very, very well crushed or finely chopped; 1 pound dried pasta such as casarecce or rigatoni; Basil, if you have it; Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, for grating

I like to serve these at the end of a very long, robust meal, after the plates have been cleared and it’s not clear if there’s even room for dessert at all.