Aubergine Caponata Orzo With Crispy Capers

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ gas 6 and heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick with a matching lid) with a generous drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add your capers and cook for 5-6 min, stirring frequently, or until crisp (watch them like a hawk to make sure they don't burn!)

Once crispy, transfer them to a plate, reserving the pan – these are your crispy capers

Boil a kettle

Meanwhile, trim the green stalk[s] off your aubergine[s] and chop into bite-sized pieces

Add the chopped aubergine to a baking tray (or two!) with a drizzle of olive oil and a small pinch of salt and pepper and give everything a good mix up

Put the tray[s] in the oven for 20 min or until the aubergine is golden and soft

While the aubergine is cooking, peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Chop your black olives roughly

Return the reserved pan to a medium-high heat

Once hot, add the chopped garlic and your tomato paste to the pan with your balsamic sun-dried tomato paste and 1 tsp [1 1/2 tsp] [2 tsp] sugar

Give everything a good mix up and cook for 3-4 min or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add your orzo and vegetable stock mix to the pan with the chopped olives and 500ml [650ml] [1L] boiled water and mix it all together

Bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 12-15 min or until cooked through

Tip: Stir the orzo occasionally to stop it from sticking

Wash your spinach, then add to a colander and pour boiled water all over it so that it starts to wilt

Rinse the wilted spinach under the cold running water until it's cool

Once cool, squeeze as much water out of the spinach as you can then chop it roughly

Chop your basil finely, including the stalks (reserve some leaves for garnish!)

Once the orzo is cooked, add the chopped spinach and chopped basil to the pan and stir it all together – this is your caponata orzo