Pasta alla Norma

Ingredienti

Serves four

3 aubergines (900g)

120ml olive oil

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1-2 mild dried chillies (deseeded if you don't want the heat)

2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes

5 large oregano sprigs (8g)

I tsp caster sugar

300g spaghetti

45g mature pecorino romano (or ricotta salata), shaved

20g basil leaves, torn salt and black pepper

Istruzioni

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.

2. Using a peeler and working from top to bottom of each aubergine, shave off long alternating strips of peel so that they look striped, like zebras. Cut widthways into 1cm thick slices and place in a bowl with 75ml of oil, ¾ teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper. Mix well, then spread out on two large parchment-lined baking trays. Roast for 30-35 minutes, until dark golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

3. Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a sauté pan and place on a medium high heat. Add the garlic and chillies and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is golden-brown. Add the tomatoes, oregano, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and a grind of pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick. Remove the oregano sprigs and stir in the aubergine. Set aside.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente, then strain, retaining some cooking water. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and mix well, adding two-thirds of the pecorino and basil, and a few tablespoons of the cooking water if the sauce has become too thick.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente, then strain, retaining some cooking water. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and mix well, adding two-thirds of the pecorino and basil, and a few tablespoons of the cooking water if the sauce has become too thick.

5. Divide the spaghetti between four shallow bowls, then top with the remaining pecorino, basil and tablespoon of oil, and serve.

After a day in the test kitchen, eating all day, there are just a handful of dishes I'm happy to cook and eat once I get home. This is one of them. If you're getting organised and into batch cooking, double or triple the recipe for the tomato sauce so that this is all ready to go: it keeps in the fridge for 5 days and also freezes well. The aubergine, once roasted, is also happy to sit around (either at room temperature or in the fridge) for a day, if you want to get ahead with this too. If you see any ricotta salata, do get it to try instead

of the pecorino romano. It's a variation of ricotta

which has been pressed, salted and dried: its flavour is

both salty and nutty. It's firmer than standard ricotta

and works really well shaved over spaghetti.