Pasta & Aubergine Bake

Yet another favourite dish of the Farrugia's...bursting with Mediterranean flavours! Amanda found this recipe in one of our recipe books and it is a must on our menu now. The grilled peppers, the aubergines, the olive paste...wow! For the peppers, we either make our own grilled peppers in oil or when short of time, we use grilled peppers in oil (and not in brine or vinegar) from a jar. Regarding the olive paste we use either Rio Mare Paté alle olive or olive pâté found in main supermarkets but we sometimes make our own and it lasts for ages in the fridge [recipe here]. When it comes to the cheese if you do not find Taleggio you can use Fontina or Mozzarella instead. Also, always make sure that you remove the bitter juices from the aubergines before cooking by using the method described in step 1. This is a vegetarian dish and can be enjoyed by everyone. Hope you try it...this is what you will need...

• 1 Large aubergine (about 700g), diced in 2cm cubes
• 2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 jar of sliced mixed peppers in oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 500ml Tomato Passata
• 300ml [1pt] Vegetable stock [1-2 cubes in boiling water]
• 2 tsp Olive Paste
• 200g Cellentani, spirali or Fusilli Pasta
• 150g Taleggio or Fontina or Mozzarella cheese, diced in 1cm cubes
• 6-8 tomatoes, sliced & deseeded
• 1 egg
• 150ml Single/Fresh Cream

How to...

1. Put the aubergine cubes in a colander & sprinkle with the rock salt & leave for about 30 minutes until the bitter juices run out.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Strain the oil off the jar of mixed peppers and reserve.

3. Pour 2 tbsp of the reserved oil into a large saucepan & add the onion & garlic. Fry over medium heat until onion is transparent but not brown.

4. Rinse the aubergine cubes & pat them dry with kitchen towels. Stir them into the onion and garlic mixture and fry for 10 minutes or until softened, adding more of the reserved oil if necessary.

5. Add the peppers, the passata & the vegetable stock and stir well to combine. Stir in the olive paste, then simmer on high heat until sauce reduces.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the pasta shapes. Mix well to separate the pieces. Then pour the mixture into an oven-proof dish. Dot with the cubes of taleggio/mozzarella, then layer the tomatoes over the top.

7. Lightly whisk the egg, then add the fresh cream and stir to combine. Pour the mixture over the pasta mixture, then bake for about 45 minutes or until pasta is cooked through.

Enjoy!!!
R&A