Penne Alla Norma (Penne Norma Style with Eggplant)
Ingredients:
Serves 4
- 400 g small, oval-shaped eggplants
- 100 ml of extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped,
- 400 g can peeled or chopped tomatoes
- salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- 400 g dried short pasta (like fusilli, penne frigate or rigatoni)
- basil leaves, to serve
- 150 g freshly grated ricotta salata
Method:
- Pre heat your oven to 200°C.
- Cut the eggplants, skin on, into 2 cm pieces.
- Tumble onto an oven tray lined with baking paper.
- Drizzle with 1/2 of the oil, salt and pepper and bake for 35-40 minutes or until roasted. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining extra-virgin olive oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat, add the chopped garlic and stir to prevent it from burning.
- After 30 seconds, or when it smells fragrant but is still pale in colour, add the tomatoes and 200 ml water. Half fill the tomato can with water and swirl around to incorporate any tomato clinging to the side, then pour into the sugo.
- Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook gently for 30-40 minutes or until slightly reduced.
- Add the roasted eggplant to the sugo.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, drop in your pasta of choice and stir well. Cook until almost al dente (generally 1 minute less than the cooking time recommended on the packet).
- Using a slotted spoon, lift the pasta straight into the sugo pan, dragging a little of the cooking water with it. Toss well to coat every single bit of pasta.
- Divide between bowls, top with the basil and lashings of ricotta salata.