pasta alla egg apple

Last night R and C were here for Entourage and the World Cup (poor Cameroon!) and some egg plant pasta. Here's how I made it.

First, cube two far-sized aubergines and salt them to get the bitterness out. Leave them salted for a while (I used the time to go out for moroccan mint tea at The Cottage with A - delicious!)

Rinse off the salt and fry the eggplant in a little bit of olive oil.

Then you make the sauce. Onions, garlic and chili stirfried until the onion is translucent.

Then add tomatoes. I used six or seven fresh cherry tomatoes (but big ones) and a can of smashed romas. Cook it down until the tomatoes are easily squish-able, but not falling apart.

Add the aubergine, and a big splash of red wine.

Then you cook the pasta. When the pasta is almost al dente, stir a tub of ricotta and six or seven torn up basil leaves (torn, not chopped) through the sauce. Drain the pasta, leaving a teeny bit of the water (and the pasta) in the pot, stir the sauce through and serve with parmigiano reggiano, or an equally delicious non-GI Australian parmesan.