Recipe: Pasta alla Norma (Pasta with Eggplant and Tomato Sauce)

PASTA ALLA NORMA
(PASTA WITH EGGPLANT AND TOMATO SAUCE)

2 lb. eggplant
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
3 lb. plum tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
1 cup freshly grated ricotta salata cheese or pecorino (2 1/2 oz.), divided use

Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and layer in a colander, sprinkling each layer generously with salt. Let stand 1 hour.

Cook garlic in 1 tbsp. oil in a 5 to 6 quart heavy saucepan over moderate hear until pale golden.

Add tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 30 to 40 minutes.

Force mixture through food mill into a bowl. Return sauce to pan and stir in basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Rinse eggplant and pat dry with paper towels. Heat remaining cup oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook eggplant in 3 or 4 batches, turning once, until browned and tender, 5 to 6 minutes. (If eggplant begins to brown too quickly, lower heat to moderate.) Transfer to paper towels to drain. Cool and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch strips.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain well.

Toss pasta with half of sauce, half of eggplant, and 3/4 cup cheese. Serve pasta topped with remaining sauce, eggplant, and cheese.

Adapted from The Best of Gourmet by Gourmet Magazine Editors
Copyright 2001 by Gourmet Magazine Editors. Excerpted by permission of Random House, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.