roasted aubergine and chilli linguine

i had a few aubergines leftover from my halloumi and aubergine parcels. i roasted these for baba ganoush but, when it came to it, after a crazy busy day and a damp journey home, i had a real pasta craving. but no inspiration.

my problem was no tomatoes which is, to me, an obvious partner for aubergine. so, having googled and read through various tomatoey aubergine recipes, i came up with this combination which actually worked really well.

the resulting dish has wonderfully gentle flavours – just the thing for a gloomy london evening. the slow-cooked garlic, slightly smoky aubergine and rich parmesan contrast really nicely with the freshness and zing of chilli and lemon.

i’m sending this over to wiffy at noob cook who is this week’s host for presto pasta nights.

roasted aubergine and chilli linguine (serves 2)

3 aubergines

olive oil

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped

150ml white wine

juice of a lemon

a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

a handful of grated parmesan plus extra for serving

linguine for 2

heat the oven to 200c.

halve the aubergines and slash the flesh in a criss-cross pattern almost through to the skin. brush with oil and cook for 40 minutes until the flesh is soft. scoop the flesh out into a bowl and discard the skin.

put the pasta on to cook.

five minutes before your pasta is ready, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a gentle heat and cook the garlic and chilli until you can smell them. add the aubergine and white wine and cook for a few minutes. add the lemon juice, parsley and parmesan before tossing with the cooked pasta. serve with plenty of parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.