Recipe & photography by Joe Woodhouse.
I make this a lot as a step up from a simple tomato sauce pasta. I like this to be heavy on the aubergine and to keep them in fairly large chunks so they have a good presence in the final dish. The pasta shape holds on to the sauce like they were made to be together. Dotted with soft chunks of aubergine and saucy pasta shapes, can’t get much better than that.
Serves 4
Ingredients
3-4 aubergines, about 750 -1kg, cut into 4–5cm cubes
100–150ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes
300g Radiatori
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
20g basil, leaves picked
sea salt flakes
grated ricotta salata or goat cheddar, to serve
Method
1. Set a large sauté or frying pan over a medium heat. Working in two batches, use 50ml of oil per batch to fry the aubergines with a pinch of salt. You can do this in smaller batches if your pan isn’t large enough to accommodate that much aubergine at once. It can be snug but doesn’t want to be overcrowded. If they are sticking too much, use more oil. Some aubergines soak up more oil than others. Turn the aubergine so it is golden on each side and soft. This should take about 6–8 minutes for each batch. Remove to a mixing bowl or plate and repeat with the next batch.
2. Once the aubergine is cooked, and removed from the pan. Add a further 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the chilli flakes, then the tomatoes. I like to use a masher to crush them up a bit. Add a full can’s worth of water to the pan with a good pinch of salt. Bubble away for 15–20 minutes until thickened and glossy.
3. Cook your pasta in well-salted water. Reserve a cup of pasta water in case you need it.
4. Add the aubergine to the tomato sauce with the vinegar. Check the seasoning and add more salt if it needs it. Add the drained pasta and any pasta water you need to get a fluid sauciness. Stir through most of the basil leaves. Spoon onto plates or a serving dish and finish with the remaining basil leaves and some cheese, with more at the table to add. As always, a drizzle of olive oil to finish is very welcome.
