August is a glorious month for Ontario produce. At my house, field freshness has included lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers and juicy cobs of corn.

Today's recipe is no exception. Most of the ingredients came from my sister's garden at her rural home outside of London, Ont. I gathered the eggplant, tomatoes and the basil from her garden which also has a healthy supply of green beans and red potatoes.

The red onion and garlic also came from her garden but they had already been picked.

Today's dish is simple and easy. In fact, during my recent vacation at a cottage in northern Ontario, I saut?ed onions, garlic and tomatoes in olive oil and mixed it with the pasta for a change to the usual barbecued supper fare.

I decided to add eggplant after I saw so many of them in my sister's garden, plus I love eggplant.

The salty Romano cheese adds a sharpness and melds well with the delicate flavour of the eggplant.

Recipe by Liz Monteiro, lmonteiro@therecord.com

PASTA WITH EGGPLANT IN A TOMATO BASIL SAUCE

Spaghetti pasta

1 large eggplant, cut into half-inch cubes

4 tbsp. (60 ml) olive oil

1/2 tsp. (2 ml) sea salt

3 tbsp. (45 ml) olive oil (second amount)

1/2 red onion finely cut

1 garlic clove, finely sliced

3 large tomatoes, diced

3 heaping tbsp. (45 ml) fresh basil, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. (2 ml) sea salt (second amount)

Freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup (125 ml) Romano cheese, grated

In a large pot, heat water, adding salt, and prepare to cook the pasta.

In an ovenproof pan, place the diced eggplant. Pour the olive oil and sprinkle the salt over the eggplant. Stir until the eggplant is covered in the oil. Place in oven and broil for about 20 minutes. Stir the eggplant occasionally, to ensure it doesn't burn.

In a frying pan, heat the second amount of olive oil and saut? the onions until they are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about two minutes on medium to low heat.

Add the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the basil, sea salt and black pepper. Mix and let simmer. Once the eggplant is done, add it to the tomato mixture. Stir.

Let simmer for about three to five minutes. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add the tomato/eggplant mixture and the Romano cheese to the pasta. Stir.

Try serving a lettuce salad to start, followed by the pasta as your entr?e.

Feeds about four people.