Somebody was asking for vegan recipes on one of the forums I visit. She is due for a visit from her daughter-in-law and was stuck for ideas. My first thought was ‘Easy! Most of the recipes on the blog are vegan.’ . On closer inspection, however, I realised none of them are 
Vegans eat cheese, don’t they? 
I asked around my Italian friends, and after much explanation of the concept of veganism, I came up with this recipe. Baking the dish concentrates the flavour of the tomatoes wonderfully. If you’re cooking it for a strict vegan, check that the bread crumbs don’t contain any milk. Serves 6
300 grams rigatoni
1 kilogram top quality tomatoes — sliced
1 large bunch of basil — chopped
1 tablespoon bread crumbs
olive oil
- Cook the rigatoni in salted water. Drain and dress with plenty of olive
oil, half the basil, and the bread crumbs. - Put a layer of the tomatoes in an oiled oven proof dish
- Top with some basil, a drizzel of oil, a little salt, and a layer of
rigatoni. - Repeat until all the ingredients have been used up. Finish with a layer of
tomatoes. - Bake in a medium oven for about 45 minutes
- Serve hot.
