For this dish, I washed Listada de Gandia eggplant and sliced into rounds.

Then I tossed them in a light dust of kosher salt and let them purge their liquid for about 30 minutes in a colander.

Then I grilled them on our cast-iron stove-top grill with a brush of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt.

After they had cooled, I tossed them with extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper and chili flakes, and a “kiss” of vinegar.

After the eggplant had marinated overnight in the refrigerator, I puréed them, adding a thin drizzle of olive oil.

Before folding in the slightly undercooked spaghetti, I added about 3 tablespoons of the pasta’s well-salted cooking water to the sauce.

After folding in the spaghetti and allowing them to absorb the flavor of the sauce as they finished cooking through, I folded in a generous handful of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Georgia P’s has been insisting on eating with her fork these days. She still has a little bit of trouble getting the food to her mouth.

But what a thrill to watch her eat spaghetti with a fork for the first time!