Ingredients
• 14 oz (400 g) Delverde mezzi tufoli
• 1 small, long eggplant, cut lengthwise into wedges
• 15 cherry tomatoes, quartered and deseeded
• 1 cow’s milk mozzarella (about 7 oz or 200 g), diced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 red chili pepper
• thyme leaves
• salt and pepper
Preparation
• Salt the eggplant wedges and leave to drain in a colander for at least 30 minutes. Drain the eggplant and remove the central, seedy part. Dice the rest.
• Heat the olive oil and sauté the shallot with the chili until soft. add the eggplant and sauté over high heat for 5 minutes. add the thyme leaves and tomatoes.
• Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.
• Drain and add to the pan with the eggplant and tomatoes, together with a little of the pasta cooking water if necessary to thin the sauce. toss to coat then stir in the mozzarella.
Preparation time 15 minutes – cooking time 15 minutes – Level of difficulty easy
