Riggitanedda

Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a shallow pan and add the canned whole peeled tomatoes, garlic, the chili pepper, salt and plenty of basil. Cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens and takes on a thick, uniform consistency, with an intense tomato and basil aroma.

Remove any coarser herbs and pass the sauce through a sieve. Collect a smooth sauce, free of any visible peels or seeds, then set it aside until ready to serve with the pasta.

Trim and clean the eggplant Remove the heads and tails, then cut them lengthwise into even slices. Sprinkle them with salt and let them drain briefly, so they lose some of their moisture.

Dry the slices thoroughly with paper towels and fry them in hot extra virgin olive oil. Turn them when the edges are golden brown and the flesh is soft; drain them as soon as they're golden brown and place them on paper towels to drain the excess oil.

Bring to a boil plenty of salted water and boil the pasta until cooked al denteDrain it, quickly rinse it in cold water to stop the cooking and let it drain well, avoiding any stagnant water.

Melt the butter, add the flour and mix until you get a dough. a mixture smooth. Pour in the milk, add the salt, and cook, stirring, until the béchamel is smooth and fairly light, with no lumps or excessive thickness.

Add the tomato sauce and béchamel to the pasta. Stir gently until the sauce is evenly distributed: each piece should be coated in the sauce, but the mixture it will have to maintain a consistency suitable for layering.

Preheat oven to (392°F) 200°C and grease a baking dish. Line the bottom and sides with the slices of eggplant, then add a layer of pasta. Alternate pasta and eggplant until it runs out the mixture, ending with a layer of eggplant.

Bake at 200°C (392°F) for about 15 minutes, until the mixture It dries and the surface is warm and compact. Check the seal before unmolding: if the structure is stable, turn the preparation over; otherwise, serve it directly from the baking dish.