Smoky Creamy Pasta with Burnt Aubergine & Tahini | Ottolenghi Test Kitchen OTK Cookbook Vegan Recipe

It does take a little time with the charring of aubergines, but hardly any effort and completely worth it. It's packed full of healthy and delicious vegetables, cooked in a way to compliment the flavour. The additonal tahini sauce adds some protein, vitamins, and minerals. The most difficult part of this recipe is ensuring your kitchen area is well ventilated while you're charring the vegetables, if you don't have an outdoor grill that you can use. However, our airfryer is stored within our utility room, which is ideal.

You can make the sauce and roast aubergine ahead, and then pick up again at the cooking pasta stage when you're ready to eat. If you don't have an airfyer, you can alternatively use a grill/ oven or ourdoor fire pit/ oven grill pan. You will also need a food processor or blender.

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Prep 10 mins Cook 40 mins Serves 4-5

INGREDIENTS
4x medium aubergines (around 1.5kg)
1 onion (peeled & cut into 6 wedges)
2-3 vine tomatoes
1 red chilli
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp paprika
8 garlic cloves (peeled & crushed)
80g tahini (optional)
1/2 lemon or lime juice
400g wholegrain pasta (choose shell style to collect sauce)
10-20g parsley (finely chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 220C fan or use your airfryer (roast or grill function). Alternatively, heat either a griddle pan or an outdoor fire pit/ grill.

Take half of your aubergines (2 of 4), then chop into large cubes, then leave the other aubergines whole. Toss the cubes into a mixing bowl with your chosen seasoning. Spread the pieces into a parchment paper lined baking tray, then place them into the oven for 30 minutes or roast in the airfryer for 10-15 mins. Proceed with charring these (turning them every 5-10 minutes) until they are blackened all over and soft all the way through.

While the aubergines are charring, chop the onion into wedges, then add these with your vine tomatoes and chilles to the roasting pan or airfryer tray, then place in the oven for about 20 minutes or airfryer for 10 mins, until they also turn charred and soft.

While the vegetables are still charring, peel and crush the garlic. Then, heat a small saucepan on medium heat and then add your oil or vegetable broth, along with the tomato paste, paprika, and 3/4 of the crushed garlic in. Stir and infuse everything together & cook for about 5 minutes, before turning off the heat.

Set all the charred veg aside to cool. Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce: mix the tahini, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 of the crushed garlic, and 5-80ml water, until the right consistency. Place the charred vegetables that are now cool, into a food processor or blender, along with the cooked tomato & garlic mix, then blitz until smooth.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions, and save about 200ml of the cooking water when done. You can use this to wash out the blender bowl. Place the sauce into a large saucepan along with about half of the portion of roasted aubergine pieces, and start warming it through on a medium heat. Finally add any additional pasta water to thin out the sauce to your preferred consistency.

Dish out the pasta and sauce into pasta bowls, add the remaining roasted aubergine pieces on top with the chopped parsley to garnish.

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Enjoy, Yours Truly, James
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