Aubergine Chilli Bacon Pasta Food

AUBERGINE & CHILLI TAGLIOLINI

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the aubergine for 5 mins until starting to brown and soften.
• Add the onion, garlic, chilli and oregano, and cook for just a few mins. Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and about 200ml water, then reduce heat and simmer gently for about 20 mins, until the tomatoes are reduced and really softened, and the sauce is thickened.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the tagliolini following pack instructions. Drain the pasta and return to the pan. Add the sauce and toss well into the pasta with the basil. Serve with the grated pecorino.

AUBERGINE PENNE ARRABBIATA

Steps:

• To make a quick chilli oil, halve and deseed the chillies. Fill a clean heatproof jar with olive oil, then pour it into a non-stick frying pan on a medium-low heat and add the chillies to confit.
• Meanwhile, put a pan of boiling salted water on for the pasta. Halve the aubergines lengthways and blanch in the water, covered, for 5 minutes, then lift out, leaving the water on the boil.
• Carefully scoop the soft chillies into the jar, then spoon in the oil, leaving 2 tablespoons in the pan (keep the jar of chilli oil to add a kick to future meals).
• Chop the aubergine into 3cm chunks, add to the pan with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then turn the heat up to high, stirring regularly.
• Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions while you peel and finely slice the garlic, then fry with the aubergine for 2 minutes.
• Pour in the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, and half a tin's worth of water.
• Add as many of the chillies as you dare to the sauce and simmer until the pasta is ready, then taste and season to perfection.
• Drain the pasta, reserving a mugful of cooking water, then toss the pasta through the sauce, loosening with a little reserved cooking water, if needed. Dish up.

BACON AND ONION PASTA

Steps:

• Take the bacon out of its packaging with the slices still stuck together and place on a cutting board. Cut the bacon, still stacked, crosswise into ½-inch slices to create little bacon pieces, also known as lardons. Add to a large rimmed sheet pan. Halve and thinly slice the onions. Add to the sheet pan as well. Drizzle the olive oil over the bacon and onions, season with salt and pepper, and toss until evenly coated.
• Place the sheet pan in a cold oven and then heat the oven to 450 degrees. Roast until the bacon has rendered much of its fat but is still pink and the onions are slightly charred in spots but not too dark, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Smash the garlic cloves with the side of your knife and thinly slice them. When the bacon and onions have had their 20 to 25 minutes, remove the sheet pan from the oven and stir in the garlic, red-pepper flakes, herbes de Provence and vermouth. Place the pan back in the oven and continue cooking until the vermouth is almost evaporated, and the bacon and onions look jammy and caramelized but not burnt, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Cook the pasta according to package instructions. (Don't overcook it, as angel hair can go from bouncy to soggy in seconds). Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
• Carefully transfer everything from the pan to the pot with the cooked pasta. Add the parsley and Parmesan to the pasta, and toss until evenly combined, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid if the sauce needs thinning out. Taste, adding more salt and pepper as needed, and serve immediately.