Pasta alla Norma

Step 1

Roughly chop the onion and sauté it in a saucepan with 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil.

Step 2

Chop the tomatoes into large pieces. Tie a dozen basil leaves together and place in the saucepan with the onion. After 1 minute, add tomatoes and salt. Cook for 25 minutes over medium-low heat. Remove the basil a few minutes before turning off the heat. Pass the tomato sauce through a food mill.

Step 3

Heat oil to 350°F. Wash the eggplant and cut them into 1/4" thick slices; fry in hot oil for 1-2 minutes.

Step 4

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.

Step 5

Toss the drained pasta in the tomato sauce. Drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil. Top with fried eggplant and ricotta salata and serve.

Step 6

Optional: preheat the oven to 210°F. Roast cherry tomatoes with peel from half of a lemon for 50 minutes. Top the pasta with the roasted tomatoes and serve.