I love aubergines, they are one of my favourite veggies. I use them in pastas like here, but also in curries, middle-eastern cooking, as katsu, layered in Greek dishes, you name it, I’ve chucked an aubergine in it!
This is a pretty basic pasta recipe, but a useful one for sure. It’s a midweek go-to, mostly store cupboard stuff, kind of recipe, but tastes delicious.
Feel free to use any shape of pasta you like, I mostly use penne but I generally use up all the bits of pasta of different shapes hanging around when I make this.
- Serves:4
Ingredients
3 aubergine diced into 1 inch chunks
1 large onion diced
7 fat garlic cloves
3 tbs light olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. chilli flakes
2 tins chopped tomatoes
½ cup pitted black olives
2 tbs rinsed and drained capers
1 tbs tomato ketchup or sugar
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Fresh basil
350-400g dried pasta of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Place the diced aubergine on a lined baking tray and season with salt and pepper, drizzle with 2 tbs light oil and give 4 of garlic cloves a bash and add to tray, sprinkle with the chilli and roughly mix to combine. Place in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the aubergine is soft and charred a little in places.
- While the aubergine is cooking start on your sauce. Add the onion to a large pan along with the remaining tbs of oil, sauté until the onions are soft and translucent and lightly golden, try to not to let them catch and cook on a low to medium heat.
- Crush the remaining garlic and add to the onions with the olives and capers, stir and cook for a minute or two before adding the chopped tomatoes. season with 1 tsp of sea salt and good grind of black pepper.
- Finally add 1 tbs tomato ketchup or sugar and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until the sauce has reduced a thickened a little. Check for seasoning.
- When the aubergine is ready remove from the oven and squeeze out the garlic from their skins, squish with the back of a fork to form a paste a add this along with the aubergines to the sauce. Stir to combine and keep warm until you are ready to serve.
- Cook your pasta as per the packet’s instructions, keeping it al dente. Drain but reserve about ¼ cup of the cooking liquid. Add the sauce to the pasta and stir again to combine.
- Serve in bowls topped with fresh basil leaves and toasted pine nuts. A green salad makes a nice side addition.
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