Chocolate Pasta with Chilies and Ricotta

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the chocolate pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a separate pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat and add in the tomatoes. Simmer the tomatoes for about 5 minutes, until they soften. Use a spatula and slightly press down on each tomato half, causing the skin to slightly peel away. Add in the sweet corn kernels and simmer an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the stove, add in the pasta, and mix well.

Preheat oven to 204 C (400 F). In an oven safe dish (9×13 or similar), add half of the pasta mixture. Using a spoon or your hands, sprinkle half of the ricotta cheese over the pasta mixture in large chunks. Layer on the remaining pasta mixture and the remaining ricotta cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, uncovered.

In the meantime, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chili peppers. I added all of the seeds also, but you may discard some seeds to control the heat. Heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once you remove the pasta from the oven, let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then slowly spoon the chili oil over the pasta. Again, to control the heat, you may or may not want to add the actual chili pepper or the seeds over the pasta bake. Pair with the avocado slices.