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, prick them with a fork, rub them with olive oil and roast them whole at 200°C for 45–50 minutes. I found ours in a market in Catania, Sicily, roasted in a wood-fired oven, which gave them a smoky flavour. You can also cook them on the barbecue. Pasta alla Norma is named after Bellini’s opera Norma; it is normally served with a tubular pasta.

Ingredients

400 / 500g fresh trofie, paccheri or rigatoni
2 cooked aubergines peeled & cut into 4cm cubes
6 garlic cloves peeled & chopped
300g cherry vine tomatoes quartered
300ml passata
1 small bunch of parsley roughly chopped
120g pecorino or salted ricotta cheese grated
100ml 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 manufacturer’s recommended cooking time. Reserve 125ml cooking water. Drain the pasta in a colander.

2 Whilst the pasta is cooking, on a medium-low heat add the oil to a wide 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 loosen 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.

Cook with Andy

Build your confidence with Italian flavours and technique in Andy’s hands-on beginner class. See the Introduction to Italian Cookery class at The Tree Inn and reserve your place.

Aubergine Trofie