Instructions

1. Barbecue the aubergine, onion and pepper, then put them in a bowl, cover and cool.
2. You can chill them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the sauce.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
4. Rinse the tomatoes and put them in a large baking tray. Tuck the garlic cloves and chilli between them. Drizzle with the olive oil, dust with the oregano and spices, then season with salt & pepper. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until they are tender.
5. Transfer the roasted tomatoes and their cooking jus to a saucepan. Remove and discard the skin of the garlic cloves, then the stem, seeds and skin of the chilli. Add the garlic and chilli flesh to the pan.
6. Take the barbecued vegetables out of the fridge. Scoop out the flesh of the aubergine, add this to the saucepan.
7. Remove the skin, stem and seeds of the red pepper. Add the pepper flesh to the saucepan.
8. Remove the skin of the onion, add the onion flesh to the pan.
9. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the parsley, then whiz, using a hand-held blender, until you get a thick, silky sauce. Add some water if it’s too thick. Set the sauce aside. You can chill it until you’re ready to serve.
10. Finally, cook the meatballs - either fry them or bake them in the oven until golden all over (if you want to bake them, do this at the same time the tomatoes are roasting).
11. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for about 5-8 minutes, until the sauce is warm again. Taste, then season with salt & pepper to your liking.
12. Serve with the pasta or rice.