Pasta 'ncasciata

Ingredients

• 500g rigatoni or maccheroni
• 400g minced beef
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stick
• 100ml red wine
• 700g tomato passata
• 150g frozen or fresh peas
• 2 large aubergines
• Sunflower oil, for frying
• 3 hard-boiled eggs
• 100g salame Napoli or soppressata, sliced
• 250g caciocavallo or provola, cubed
• 80g Pecorino or Parmigiano, grated
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Basil leaves, to taste
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Before you cook

• Slice the aubergines lengthways about 5mm thick, salt them in a colander and leave them to drain for 40 minutes
• Chop the onion, carrot and celery finely
• Boil the eggs for 9 minutes, cool them, peel them and cut them into rounds
• Cube the caciocavallo and cut the salami slices into strips

Steps

1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot and soften the chopped onion, carrot and celery over medium-low heat for 8 minutes.
2. Add the minced beef and brown it well, breaking up the lumps.
3. Pour in the red wine and let it reduce away completely.
4. Add the passata, season with salt and pepper and bring it to a simmer.
5. Cook the ragù with the lid ajar for 1 hour 15 minutes, until thick and glossy.
6. Stir the peas into the ragù for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
7. Rinse the salted aubergine slices and press them dry between clean tea towels.
8. Heat 2cm of sunflower oil in a frying pan until a scrap of aubergine sizzles briskly.
9. Fry the aubergine slices in batches for about 2 minutes a side, until deep golden.
10. Drain the fried slices on kitchen paper.
11. Heat the oven to 180C.
12. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 3 minutes less than the packet time.
13. Drain the pasta and toss it with about two thirds of the ragù.
14. Line the base and sides of an oiled deep baking dish with fried aubergine slices, letting them overhang the rim.
15. Spoon in half the dressed pasta and press it down gently.
16. Scatter over half the egg slices, half the salami, half the caciocavallo, some basil and a dusting of grated cheese.
17. Add the rest of the pasta, then the remaining ragù, egg, salami and caciocavallo.
18. Fold the overhanging aubergine slices back over the top to seal the parcel.
19. Finish with the last of the grated cheese.
20. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the surface is crusted and dark gold.
21. Rest the dish for 20 minutes before turning it out or cutting into it.