Heat plenty of salted water in a large saucepan in which to cook the pasta.

Keep the garlic cloves whole but crush until almost flat by pressing a heavy knife on them; fry gently in the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan until pale golden brown.

Add the crumbled chilli pepper (discard the seeds if you want the dish to be less peppery); stir in the tomatoes, and 2 basil leaves. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer, uncovered, for 15 - 20 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce and thicken considerably. Stir occasionally.

While the sauce is simmering, slice the ends off the aubergines, peel and cut them lengthwise into slices about 1/4 in (7 mm) thick; cut these in turn into rectangles about 1 1/4 x 3/4 in (3 x 2 cm).

Heat the frying oil in the deep-fryer to 350°F (180°C) and fry the aubergine slices in batches until pale golden brown; alternatively shallow-fry, turning once. Drain well, spread out on kitchen paper to finish draining and sprinkle with a little salt.

Cut the mozzarella cheese into small cubes or dice; tear all but a few of the remaining basil leaves into thin strips. Cook the pasta until only just tender; drain and add to the tomato mixture and stir over a moderately high heat for a few seconds.

Add the aubergine and mozzarella pieces and stir over a slightly lower heat for a few seconds more, until the mozzarella melts.

Remove from the heat, stir in the shredded basil leaves and serve in deep, heated plates, garnished with the reserved whole basil leaves and sprinkled with a little more freshly ground black pepper.