Roasted Eggplant Pasta Alla Norma

This pasta sits firmly in my top 3 pasta dishes of all time.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 3cm cubes
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes or 3 large ripe tomatoes, halved (or a mixture of both)
• 3 cloves garlic (kept whole, in the skin), plus 1 small clove garlic (peeled)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Large pinch of salt flakes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• 220g rigatoni
• 1/3 cup fresh ricotta
• Handful fresh basil leaves, torn
• Pinch of chilli flakes and grated pecorino, for serving
• Fin. Basil Oregano Lemon food fragrance, for serving

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the eggplant, tomatoes, whole unpeeled garlic cloves, olive oil and salt in a large baking dish and toss to coat. Spread into a single layer and roast for 30–40 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the eggplant is golden and tender and the tomatoes have blistered. Everything should looked lightly caramelised at the edges.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt generously so it tastes of the sea. Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve at least 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.

3. In a large frying pan over medium heat, add the roasted vegetables and all their juices. Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skins, then finely grate the remaining raw garlic clove into the sauce. Stir in 1 tbsp tomato paste and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Simmer for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until glossy and slightly thickened, but not too thick that it won’t coat the pasta evenly. Add more water if required.

4. Add the drained pasta directly into the pan and toss gently. Turn off the heat and gently fold in the torn basil leaves and small dollops of ricotta (it’s nice to leave it slightly streaky for texture). Taste and adjust seasoning if required.

5. Divide into two bowls, sprinkle over some chilli flakes (if using) and grate over some pecorino. Spritz with 2-3 sprays of Fin. Basil Oregano Lemon food fragrance and eat immediately.

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