Viva Italia!

A SOULFUL ITALIAN FEAST BY CHEF MEGHA JHUNJHUNWALA OF HEARTH & I …

- MEGHA JHUNJHUNWALA

Pasta Alle Melanzane (deconstructed)

1 aubergine, sliced horizontally into ½ inch disks

250 gm tomato, diced

75-100 gm fresh pasta dough

1 onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

A handful of basil

½ cup Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste

1 To prepare the aubergine, pan roast the slices with olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Leave it half-cooked and keep aside.

2 To make the sauce, sauté onion, garlic and tomato with some basil leaves, salt and pepper, in olive oil. Cook on a medium flame for 3 minutes and then blend. Once cooled. Keep aside.

3 Prepare the pasta sheet. Roll out pasta dough (as instructed on the next page) and cut 2x2 inch pasta sheets for layering the dish.

4 To assemble, in a baking dish put a thin layer of the marinara sauce, followed by the pasta sheet, then marinara sauce again, followed by the aubergine.

5 Repeat the layers. Finish the dish with Parmesan and bake in the oven at 220°C for 15 minutes.

Fresh pasta dough

200 gm flour (Italian ‘00’ flour, if possible)

2 large fresh eggs

1 tsp olive oil

A pinch of sea salt