Baked Rigatoni With Aubergine & Mozzarella

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 lbs small vine tomatoes or 2 3/4 lbs small plum tomatoes
• golden caster sugar
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 large aubergine (about 1 lb)
• 1 1/8 lbs rigatoni pasta
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 ounces black olives, stoned and chopped
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, plus extra for serving
• 1 lb buffalo mozzarella
• 1 3/4 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus extra for serving
• hot sauce (optional) or crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 320ºf.
• 2 halve the tomatoes through their equator, rather than their core.
• 3 stand them cut-side up on a shallow baking tray (i use a nonstick jelly-roll pan).
• 4 scatter a little salt, pepper, & sugar over the cut surfaces and drizzle with estra virgin olive oil; roast for 45 minutes.
• 5 meanwhile, slice the aubergine into rounds, brush both sides with oil and spread out in one layer on another tray.
• 6 after the tomatoes have been roasting for 45 minutes, put the aubergines in with them and roast for another 45 minutes.
• 7 towards the end of the time, cook the pasta in plenty of gently boiling well-salted water until nearly al dente - it should be undercooked because it finishes off in the oven.
• 8 drain well and pour into a large bowl.
• 9 have ready 4 t of extra-virgin olive oil mixed with crushed garkic and olives.
• 10 toss the oil mixture through the pasta and turn half of it into a 2 5/8 qt ovenproof dish.
• 11 remove the tomatoes and aubergines from the oven. (you can prepare them up to 24 hours ahead.).
• 12 turn up the oven to 356ºf.
• 13 scatter half the tomatoes and their juices over the pasta in the dish.
• 14 roughly tear the basil leaves and scatter on top.
• 15 drain the mozzarella, pat dry with kitchen paper, then slice, very thinly.
• 16 lay two-thirds of the slices over the tomatoes.
• 17 grind black pepper over and scatter over the aubergine.
• 18 add the rest of the pasta, top with remaining tomatoes and mozzarella and then the parmesan.
• 19 (can be made up to 3-4 hours in advance.).
• 20 bake for 20-25 minutes, until piping hot & the top is extra crusty.
• 21 serve hot with a sprinkle of basil and extra parmesan; a salad of baby greens topped with oil & vinegar and a warm loaf of a rustic italian bread with butter and of course some type of robust wine.
• 22 enjoy!