Post at Como The Treasury’s smoked mozzarella and eggplant mezzalune with tomato, squash and zucchini

1.Preheat oven to 160C and line 2 oven trays with baking paper. For eggplant filling, score a shallow cross-hatch pattern into flesh of eggplant, season and drizzle with olive oil, then roast flesh-side down on a tray until tender when pierced with a skewer (40 minutes). Scoop out flesh and purée in a blender, then transfer to a bowl while still hot and stir in cheeses, leaving some unmelted (2-3 minutes; if cheese becomes stringy, set aside to cool a moment longer). Add lemon rind and juice, season to taste, stir to combine, cover and refrigerate until chilled (20-30 minutes).

2.Meanwhile, scatter Parmigiano-Reggiano over second oven tray to form a 20cm x 20cm square, then bake until golden and crisp (4-5 minutes). Cool on tray, then coarsely break up.

3.For pasta dough, heap flour onto a clean dry surface, add paprika and 1 tsp fine sea salt, and create a well in the centre. Add yolks and egg, and olive oil to well, whisk eggs and oil with a fork to combine, then begin incorporating flour to form a stiff dough. Spritz lightly with water if necessary to help just bring dough together. Scrape away and discard dried clumps of flour from the surface, then knead dough until silky, but firm (5 minutes). Wrap in plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.

4.For golden tomato sauce, combine olive oil and garlic in a cold frying pan and stir over medium-high heat until garlic starts to colour (2-3 minutes). Add tomatoes, stir until starting to split (30-40 seconds), then purée in a blender. Add lemon juice, season to taste, then press though a fine strainer (discard skins and seeds).

5.Halve pasta dough and rewrap one half while you work with the other. Roll dough with a rolling pin to fit through the widest setting of a pasta machine. Reduce setting by one notch and repeat, then reduce another notch and pass through once more. Fold pasta by thirds, turn 90 degrees and roll with a rolling pin again to fit the widest setting on the pasta machine. Repeat folding and rolling twice more, reducing the setting notch by notch, then roll through remaining settings until 1mm thick. Place on a surface lightly dusted with flour, cut out rounds with an 8cm cutter and cover loosely with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Working in batches, run a wet finger around the edge of the rounds and spoon 2 tsp filling onto each. Fold pasta over to create half-moon shapes and press to seal. Place on a lightly floured tray and repeat with remaining dough and filling.

6.Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente (2½-3 minutes), then drain.

7.To serve, gently warm tomato sauce, divide pasta among bowls, top with sauce, squash, zucchini slices and torn flowers, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and finish with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, herbs and parmesan crisps.