Recipe: Spaghetti alla Norma

This is a traditional Sicilian dish made with aubergines. I have put a healthier twist on the original recipe by using wholewheat spaghetti and roasting the aubergine instead of frying. One to try for a meat-free Monday as it is quick, simple and full of flavour.

Ingredients (serves 3-4 depending on appetite)

2 aubergines

300g wholewheat spaghetti

1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes

2 garlic cloves (minced or finely chopped)

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tsp dried oregano

1tsp chilli flakes

1/2 tsp honey

Salt and black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Pecorino cheese

Fresh basil to serve (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190 and boil a kettle of water.

2. For the aubergine: I used to chop the aubergine into bite-sized cubes which works totally fine, but recently discovered Ottolenghi's method of using a peeler to peel stripes lengthways down the aubergine (like a zebra) and cutting into 1 cm slices works really well.

3. Place in a bowl with 5 tbsp of olive oil and half a tsp of salt and mix well.

4. Spread the slices evenly on baking trays in the oven and cook for 25-30 mins, flipping half-way through.

5. For the sauce: heat 1 tbsp of olive oil, add the garlic and cook gently for a couple of minutes, then add the tinned tomatoes, oregano, chilli flakes, tomato purée, honey, a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Mix well and allow to cook on a medium to low heat for 15 mins.

6. Cook the spaghetti until al dente and reserve an egg-cup-sized amount of the cooking water.

7. Once the aubergine is cooked add it to the sauce. Drain and add the spaghetti, plus the reserved cooking water, and mix well, covering the spaghetti and allowing the aubergine to break up in the sauce.

8. Top with pecorino cheese and fresh basil. Enjoy!