Roasted capsicum pasta sauce

(serves 4)

So I am playing the waiting game with this little baby of mine. We are at Week 39 and feeling pretty uncomfortable ~ reaching an awkward stage where any day now I could go into labour... but it hasn't happened yet so I'm just hanging out at home. Hesitant to go too far and too tired to organise much, I have resorted to cooking as my pastime. Last Friday we went to Flemington again - the second time this year hubby and I have made it to the markets! It is such a bargain and so much fun, and now we have a fridge stocked full of fresh fruit and veg! 

I was reminded of this roasted capsicum pasta sauce as we bought a whole box of quality capsicums (at least 5 or 6 kg) for a bargain $12! So this dish stems back to Year 10 when we had to do a food stall and our group decided on making pasta. One of my friends' mum made this delicious 'orange' sauce and I've never really had it again since then but I do remember it vividly! It can be served with a variety of toppings, including grilled chicken or prawns, but we just made it with a few more vegetables and herbs to keep it light! Thanks Carolyn for the tips! :) 

Prep time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
1.5 kg red capsicum 
1 eggplant
2 zucchini
1 brown onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup chicken/vegetable stock
100mL cream or milk
400g pasta
200g cherry tomatoes
3 stalks basil, to garnish
3 stalks parsley, to garnish

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Cut the tops off the capsicums and remove the seeds. Slice capsicums in half and flatten. 
3. Dice the eggplant and dress in olive oil and salt.
4. Prepare 2 foil-lined tray and spray oil on top. On one tray, place the capsicum halves skin side up and roast for 20-30 minutes until the skin becomes wrinkly and slightly charred. On the second tray, place the eggplant and roast for 30-40 minutes until cooked. 
5. Place the capsicum in a sealed container for 5 minutes to steam and soften, then peel off the skin.

6. Meanwhile, slice the zucchini into 0.5cm circles and sauté on low heat for 10 minutes with a teaspoon of olive oil, turning occasionally until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

7. Finely dice the onion and garlic. Sauté with a teaspoon of olive oil until softened.
8. Place the capsicum, onion and garlic into the food processor and blend until smooth.
NB. You may want to save a couple of strips to garnish.

9. Put the capsicum mixture back into the saucepan, and add the chicken stock and cream/milk to thin out the sauce. Bring the sauce back to the boil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Cook the pasta until al dente. Rinse in cold water and then add to the sauce. Stir through and add in the eggplant and zucchini.
11. Halve the cherry tomatoes and finely chop the herbs. 
12. Serve the pasta and garnish with tomatoes, sliced capsicum and herbs.