Pasta alla Norma
Sicily's answer to everything
Sicilian pasta alla Norma with fried eggplant, garlicky tomato sauce, torn basil and a snowstorm of grated ricotta salata.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni or maccheroni
- 2 eggplants, cubed
- Olive oil for frying
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 28-oz can peeled tomatoes, crushed
- Fresh basil
- 1 cup grated ricotta salata
- Salt, pepper
Instructions
- 01
Fry the eggplant. Fry the cubes in hot olive oil until deep golden and creamy inside. Drain and salt.
- 02
Quick sauce. Soften the garlic in olive oil, add the tomatoes and simmer 15 minutes until thickened. Season.
- 03
Combine. Toss al dente pasta with the sauce, most of the eggplant and torn basil, loosening with pasta water.
- 04
Finish. Top each bowl with the remaining eggplant and a heavy grating of ricotta salata.
Larry’s rule: Fry the eggplant, don't roast it. The oil it drinks is the sauce's body.