This dish was an attempt to get some summertime into a bowl, inspired by the delicious and highly individual pasta dishes of Sicily. The flavour combinations on the island reflect the history and the different waves of people who have arrived on its shores. If you want to add more of those flavours, feel free to add fennel seeds, and/or toasted pine nuts, and/or raisins.
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 shallot, diced
Small pack of cubetti de pancetta (or lardons)
2 tbsp plus another 2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
3 anchovies in chilli oil (or 3 anchovies in salt which have been rinsed, or in plain oil and you can add chilli flakes if you want a little heat)
1 can cherry tomatoes (I was feeling fancy so I used Mutti brand)
Half a teaspoon dried oregano
half a tablespoon chopped capers
1 small aubergine cut into half inch or 1 cm cubes (if you have a larger aubergine use half to two thirds)
220-250g dried pasta try to use bronze die cut pasta (I used gigli)
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
Method
Fry aubergine in 2 tbsp of olive oil until golden and there is a little shrinkage. Put to one side. Reuse the pan for the pancetta, you can wipe clean if you wish.
Dry fry the pancetta until cooked but not crispy, and empty onto a plate covered in kitchen roll.
Then fry the diced shallot in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 mins, keeping things moving so the shallots don’t brown or burn.
Add the finely chopped garlic and anchovies in chilli oil. Cook for another 2 minutes, until you can smell the garlic softening.
Add a tin of cherry tomatoes with their juice, the dried oregano, and the chopped capers. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Allow to cook into a slightly thickened sauce. While cooking, boil either a pan of water or a kettle of water for cooking the pasta. Then cook 220-250g pasta in salted water to 1 min less than the al dente time.
Then add the aubergine to the tomato sauce in the last 5 or so minutes of cooking time.
Drain pasta, reserving half a mug of pasta cooking water if needed. Then add pasta to the pan with the sauce, stirring until thoroughly mixed.
If you need to add pasta cooking water to loosen the pasta and sauce, add a little at a time, keeping pasta and sauce on very low heat. Try to do this in 1-2 minutes to avoid over softening the pasta (something I never have to worry about with pasta!).
When happy with consistency, taste and season, then serve, topping with parmesan. Eat while hot.
