Ingredients: serves 4
14 oz/40 dkg fusilli Italian pasta, salt, 3 1/2/10 dkg parmesan cheese for the top
Sauce:
1 bulb garlic (6 cloves), 18 oz/50 dkg fresh tomatoes (28 oz/14 dkg canned peeled chopped tomatoes), 1 teaspoon hot Red Gold or “Strong Steven” hot cherry pepper paste, 2 tablespoon cooking oil, salt, handful of fresh basil leaves
Eggplant variation:
14 oz/40 dkg young eggplant, 3 tablespoon cooking oil, 7 oz/20 dkg baffalo mozzarella
Broccoli variation:
18 oz/50 dkg fresh broccoli (14 oz/40 dkg frozen)

Begin by making the sauce. Clean the garlic and slice the cloves thin. Peel the tomatoes, cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut the flesh into small cubes. Heat the oil in a wide brimmed skillet and add the garlic and paprika creams. Stirring, brown for 1-2 minutes, toss in the tomatoes – if using canned tomatoes, pour in the liquid also. Brown for a few minutes, salt lightly, and season with finely chopped basil. For the eggplant ragout, cut the eggplant in half, scoop out the seeds, dice the remaining tender parts. Cook in lightly salted water, drain, and sauté in sizzling oil in a skillet until nearly as soft as puree.
Break the broccoli into small flowerets, cube the tender part of the stems. Cook in lightly salted water, drain, and combine with the tomato sauce. While the ragouts are simmering, cook the pasta in lightly salted water – Italians prefer it al dente, slightly chewy – and drain. If serving it with the eggplant ragout, the mozzarella is added to it. Return the completely drained pasta to the dish in which it cooked and just as is, without adding anything, heat up. Drain the mozzarella and dice into 2/3”/1 cm cubes, stir into the pasta and leave on the stove until the hot pasta melts the cheese. To serve, place the mozzarella fusilli on a plate and top with the eggplant ragout. Sprinkle plenty of Parmesan cheese on top. Serve the broccoli variation the same way, the only difference is the absence of mozzarella cheese.

Words of Wisdom
If you would like to serve both ragouts, eggplant and broccoli, cook double the amount of sauce and pasta.

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Calories per serving: 587
Skill: Easy to prepare