Pasta alla Norma

To make pasta alla Norma , first wash and dry the eggplant well, and trim it 1 . Cut it into slices around .30 inch (8 mm) 2 and transfer to a colander 3 .

Sprinkle with salt 4 and leave to drain for at least 15 minutes. In the meantime, turn to the tomatoes: Wash them and remove the stems 5 . Cut in half 6 .

Place in a pot with a pinch of salt 7 , 3 cloves of garlic (you can use fewer if you prefer, but the garlic characterizes pasta alla Norma) 8 , and a handful of basil 9 .

Let this cook over low heat for 30 minutes without adding anything else; the tomatoes will release their liquid 10 . After 30 minutes, remove the garlic and basil 11 . Transfer the tomatoes to a food mill fitted with the finest disc and grind them 12 .

Once you’ve got your purée 13 , transfer it to a pot, add another clove of garlic 14 and a sprig of basil 15 . Let it cook for another 40 minutes, stirring every once in a while.

At this point, you can rinse the eggplant well, drying it with paper towel. Next, pour the extra virgin olive oil in a deep pot and bring it to a temperature of around 340-350°F (170-180°C). Immerse a few slices of eggplant at a time in the oil 16 and turn them every now and then. It will take a few minutes for them to turn nicely golden 17 . At this point, remove the eggplant from the pot with kitchen tweezers and transfer to a tray lined with paper towel 18 . Continue frying the eggplant, and in the meantime, put a pot full of water on the stove, which you’ll use to cook the pasta.

Once the sauce is fairly thick, remove the basil 19 , add a spoonful of the oil the eggplant was cooked 20 in and a drizzle of fresh olive oil 21 .

Cook the pasta until it’s al dente 22 , drain, and pour into the sauce 23 . Flip the pan quickly to cover the pasta with the sauce 24 .

Transfer the pasta to the plates, add the fried eggplant 25 , plenty of grated ricotta salata 26 , a basil leaf, and then your pasta alla Norma is ready to be served 27 !