PASTA ALLA NORMA

A serving of Pasta alla Norma.

RECIPE: Pasta alla Norma
Legend has it that this much-favored Sicilian vegetarian pasta preparation is named after Vincenzo Bellini’s opera “Norma.” Bellini was born in Catania, Sicily, in November 1801. Sicilians treat eggplant as a ready substitute for meat or fish: it is a hearty vegetable, holds up in cooking and is grown all over the island. I’ve composed this recipe from my own experiences eating it in Italy and from several recipes for it, including Stanley Tucci’s. Serves 3-4.

Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium purple eggplants, partially peeled and cut into 1-inch squares, 4-5 cups
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, separated
1 teaspoon dried Aleppo pepper flakes (or 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon Mexican-style red pepper flakes, to taste)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
4-5 Roma tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped (about 2 cups raw) or the equivalent in good quality canned tomatoes
2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 to 3/4 pound medium-sized, short tubular dried pasta (ziti, pennoni, mezzi rigatoni, paccheri, ditali or the like)
A wedge of ricotta salata
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or chiffonade of basil, for garnish

Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and ready a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In a large bowl, add the pepper flakes, black pepper and salt to the 1/2 cup olive oil and stir together. Add the eggplant cubes to the bowl and toss them to coat. Lay out the cubes onto the baking sheet in a single layer and place in the oven.

Roast the eggplant for 40 minutes, turning the pieces over 1-2 times while cooking to even out their browning.

Meanwhile, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high flame and add the garlic slices, letting them cook just until sizzling. Add the tomatoes and cook them down, 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste, smashing everything and making a thick sauce. If the eggplant has yet to finish roasting, set the sauce aside.

Set a large pot of water to boiling and cook the pasta until just al dente, draining it well and reserving 1-2 ladlefuls of cooking water. To the tomato sauce, add the eggplant, stirring it in gently, adding splashes of pasta cooking water, if necessary, in order to thin the sauce to your liking. (The sauce should be thick but not jammy.)

Gently stir in the pasta and serve, garnished with gratings of ricotta salata and either or both of the green herbs.