Ultimate pasta alla Norma

Once you realise that tomato sauces are enhanced by the addition of miso, you won’t be able to grab a can of tomatoes from your cupboard without a jar of miso coming out too, said Bonnie Chung. This is the best veggie pasta ever, and my favourite when I’m feeling lazy. All you need is an aubergine and some store-cupboard essentials.

Ingredients

• 1 medium aubergine
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 fat garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
• 400g can of tomatoes
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• pinch of chilli flakes
• 200g dried spaghetti, or dried linguine
• 1 tbsp white miso
• 3 basil leaves, roughly torn, plus more to serve
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

• Parmesan cheese, or vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method

• Chop the aubergine into bite-sized pieces. Heat 2-3 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then fry the aubergine until charred and cooked through. Aubergines love oil, so don’t be shy. This should take about 15 minutes and it is important not to rush it. Take it out to rest, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• In the same pan, warm up 2 tbsp more olive oil over a medium heat and add the onion and garlic to cook down, soften and become slightly sticky. Then add the can of tomatoes and bring to a simmer, before stirring through the red wine vinegar and chilli flakes.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions to al dente, reserving a small cup of the pasta-cooking liquid before draining.
• Scoop out some of the tomato liquid into a small bowl and mix in the white miso with a small spoon until smooth and emulsified. Then add it all back into the pot of tomato sauce and stir through.
• Add the aubergine and basil leaves to the sauce and warm through for 1 minute before adding the pasta. If the sauce is a little too thick, stir in some of the pasta-cooking water, to create a silkier sauce.
• To finish, serve with the grated cheese, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a basil leaf.

Taken from Miso: From Japanese Classics to Everyday Umami by Bonnie Chung.

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