You can make this dish vegetarian simply by removing the anchovies.
Serves 5
2–3 eggplants (the dark purple variety)
extra virgin olive oil
salt
500g packet pasta (like penne or rigatoni)
250g chip of cherry tomatoes
2–3 garlic cloves
1–2 anchovies
1 cup ricotta*
8–10 basil leaves
Chop the eggplants into approx. 1 cm cubes. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt and place on a baking tray. Bake at 180°C for 25–30 minutes until the eggplant is soft.
Bring a large pot of water on to boil. When boiling, add a generous amount of salt and the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, place a little olive oil in a pan along with the cherry tomatoes (sliced in half if large), garlic and anchovies. Once the tomatoes are soft, place the contents of the pan, along with half the eggplant, ricotta and basil into a blender and blend until smooth.
Place the sauce back into the pan along with the remaining roasted eggplants. Drain the pasta, reserving 3–4 tablespoons of the water, adding this to the sauce along with the cooked pasta.
Toss and serve with grated parmesan.
*I sometimes replace the ricotta with Tatua mascarpone or crème fraîche
