Pasta alla Norma ( eggplant and tomato pasta)

Aubergine or eggplant has a delicious smoky flavour and can substitute, in texture, for meat.
This is vegetarian fare but you can easily add a lovely fried chicken fillet, especially with lemon, as a complement.
Easily made and budget friendly, with a touch of difference. Guest-worthy but wholesome.

Serves 4 for lunch or 4 for dinner with accompaniments like a meat, a salad and a crusty loaf.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, cut into 2 or 3 cm cubes
6 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
400 g passata or 1/2 can of tomatoes and 1/2 a jar of pasta sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 teaspoon chilli paste or 1 red chilli, seeds removed
300-350 g wholewheat spaghetti or rigatoni
small bunch of basil. ( you could add 1 teaspoon of dried basil if you can't get fresh )
cherry tomatoes (optional)
salt
1/2 cup grated romano or parmesan cheese.

Fry the garlic gently in a little oil then add the passata or alternatives, the paste and chilli and a few chopped basil leaves.

Simmer gently for about 30 minutes, add a little water if it gets too thick

Meanwhile, chop the aubergine/eggplant and fry in the olive oil  until golden. You will need to do this in 2 batches.
Add the second batch of fried eggplant to the first and simmer slowly until it is soft, use a lid to help this process.
When cooked, about 25 minutes, add the eggplant to the tomato sauce.

At the same time as the 2 previous steps, put on a large pot of boiling water, add 1 teaspoon of salt.
Add the pasta when boiling, it will take about 13 minutes for wholewheat.
Time this to be ready when the sauce and eggplant are cooked.

You can make the sauce ahead of time and reheat it.

Add the eggplant to the tomato sauce.
Drain pasta and add a little of the pasta water to the sauce.
Combine with the pasta, basil leaves, cherry tomatoes (halved)

Plate up or place in a serving dish.
Top with the cheese.
Put salt and ground black pepper on the table for people who like it.

Serve with a  gutsy white like a sauvignon blanc.