Heat up vegetable oil in a deep fry pan.

Cut the eggplant into strips that are around 1cm in width.

Fry the eggplant strips until they start to brown, then remove them from the oil and place them on kitchen paper so the oil absorbs on it.

Heat up EVOO in a deep pan on a low heat in preparation for cooking your sauce.

Add garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes.

Add 400g Italian peeled tomatoes to a bowl, sprinkle salt over the top then break them down using a potato masher.

Add dried oregano, pepper, fresh basil leaves, mix together and add to the pan.

Stir it gently using a wooden spoon and simmer on a low heat.

Add ¾ of your eggplant strips and leave to simmer for around 40 minutes.

Once it is almost ready, grate a handful of ricotta salata into the sauce and leave it to melt.

Boil water in a large pot, add a small handful of rock salt and let it dissolve.

Add the pasta to the pot and cook according to the packet instructions (I strongly recommend using Pasta Casarecce as it’s the closest you will find to Maccheroncini).

Once the pasta is cooked, strain it and add it to the sauce.

Later the sauce over the top of the pasta using a wooden spoon.

E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!