Baked Rigatoni With Aubergine & Mozzarella

We really enjoyed the wonderful and fresh ingredients in this dish. It makes a great one meal dish or it can also be a side dish. It was in the May, 2003rd edition of the Good Food magazine that I got from the library.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 1 serving dish

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)

Directions

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!