Pasta alla Norma
pasta with eggplant

tomatoes

garlic

hot red pepper if you like 

sweet basil

extra virgin olive oil

eggplant 

pasta (wide pad thai rice noodles are good with this sauce)  

ricotta salata (or some another sharp sheep milk cheese like pecorino romano) 

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Cut the eggplant into cubes, rings or strips. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a fry pan and add the eggplant with a bit of salt, cook the eggplant over medium high heat until it is crispy brown on all sides and remove to a paper towel to drain. Warm smashed garlic and slices of hot red pepper in extra virgin olive oil, add roughly chopped tomatoes and cook it until the tomatoes have melted down and turned into a simple sauce (you can remove the garlic after it releases its flavor or just leave it in the sauce). Turn off the heat and stir in some sweet basil leaves. Boil pasta in salted water until al dente, remove to the pan with the tomatoes and sauté the pasta with the tomato sauce for a few minutes. If you've fried the eggplant in cubes stir them into the pasta and top with lots of grated ricotta salata to serve. If you've fried the eggplant in strips serve them on top of the pasta along with the ricotta salata.

 

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