Smoky charred aubergines bring depth to this indulgent vegan pasta, topped with creamy tahini sauce, crispy golden aubergine cubes, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
INGREDIENTS
- 5 aubergines (1.25kg), 2 cut into 3-4cm cubes, 3 left whole
- 165ml olive oil
- 1 onion (150g), cut into 6 wedges
- 2 small vine tomatoes (200g), left whole
- 1 red chili (10g), left whole
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp paprika
- 7 garlic cloves, crushed
- 80g tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 300g dried pasta shells (conchiglie rigate)
- 10g parsley, roughly chopped
- Sea salt and black pepper
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 220°C fan. Spread the aubergine cubes on a large, parchment-lined baking tray. Toss them with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of black pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until browned and tender.
- Char the whole aubergines: Prick them all over with a fork and ventilate your kitchen well. Heat a well-greased griddle pan over high heat. Once smoking, add the aubergines and cook, turning occasionally, for 35 minutes, until charred on all sides. Set aside to cool slightly. In the same pan, toss the onion, tomatoes, and chili with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and grill for 10 minutes, turning as needed, until well-charred and softened. Discard the chili stem. Once cool, peel the skins and discard the stems from the charred aubergines. You should have roughly 320g of aubergine flesh.
- While the vegetables cool, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomato paste, paprika, and three-quarters of the crushed garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the garlic becomes fragrant and the tomato paste darkens. Add the grilled vegetables to a food processor, along with ¾ teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper, and blitz until smooth. Transfer this mixture to a large sauté pan and set aside as your sauce base.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, remaining garlic, lemon juice, 70ml of water, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for 8 minutes, or until al dente. Reserve 275ml of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Add the reserved pasta water and half of the roasted aubergine to the sauce base, heating through on medium-high. Add the drained pasta and stir to combine, warming through for about 2 minutes.
- Toss the remaining roasted aubergine with parsley and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Transfer the pasta to a large serving platter. Drizzle generously with tahini sauce, then top with the aubergine and parsley mixture. Serve the extra tahini sauce on the side.
Make Ahead
- You can prepare the charred aubergine base up to 3 days in advance. Simply reheat it with the reserved pasta water when ready to serve.
- For convenience, double or triple the tahini sauce and store it in the fridge. Thin it out with a little water if needed, and drizzle it over almost anything!
