Aubergine Trofie

Prep Time:

5 Minutes

Cook Time:

30 Minutes

Serves:

4

This works well with either fresh or dried pasta. If you can’t find cooked aubergines, roast them whole in a hot oven, pricked with a fork, rubbed with olive oil and cooked for about 45/50 minutes at 200c. I found ours in the market in Catana, Sicily, roasted in a wood burning oven giving it a smoky flavour. You can cook them on the BBQ as well. Named after the opera ‘Norma’ in honour of composer Bellini, a native of Catania. Normally with tubular style pasta.

Ingredients

400 / 500 g fresh trofie, paccheri or rigatoni
2 cooked aubergines peeled & cut into 4cm cubes
6 garlic cloves peeled & chopped
300 g cherry vine tomatoes quartered
300 ml passata
1 small bunch of parsley roughly chopped
120 g pecorino or salted ricotta cheese grated
50 ml + 50 ml olive oil
sea salt & black pepper

Method

1 Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente about 2 minutes less than the manufactures recommended cooking time. Reserve 125 ml cooking water. Drain the pasta in a colander.

2 Whilst the pasta is cooking, on a medium-low heat add a rounded pan. Add the garlic and cook without colour on a medium heat. Then add cherry tomatoes.

3 Add the aubergine, turn the heat to high while tossing the pan, cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4 Then add the passata, I used a cherry tomato one whilst in Sicily.

5 Add half the chopped parsley.

6 Add the pasta. Toss the pasta in the sauce. Then let down the sauce with some of the reserved pasta water.

7 Plate up and top with pecorino or salted ricotta cheese and black pepper. Garnish with the rest of the parsley.