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Recipes

Pasta alla Norma

Recipe information

  • Yield

    6 Servings

Ingredients

2

medium eggplants (about 1 pound each), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2

tablespoons coarse kosher salt plus additional for cooking pasta

5

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1

cup chopped onion

4

garlic cloves, minced

8

(or more) small peperoncini, minced

2

14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice

1

pound spaghetti

1

cup torn fresh basil leaves

1

cup crumbled ricotta salata*

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place eggplant cubes in colander and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Let eggplant drain 15 minutes. Pat dry, removing excess salt.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add peperoncini and tomatoes with juice; cook until tomatoes begin to soften, about 15 minutes. Remove tomato sauce from heat.

    Step 3

    Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in another heavy large skillet over high heat. Working in 3 batches and adding 1 tablespoon olive oil for each batch, cook eggplant until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer eggplant to tomato sauce in skillet.

    Step 4

    Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water. Add cooking water to sauce; bring to boil. Add spaghetti and basil to sauce and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl; top with ricotta salata and serve.

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