Pasta Alla Norma

Serves: 4 Difficulty: Easy Time: Prep 15 min Cook 30 min

Ingredients

• 1 large Eggplant
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ½ a bunch of fresh basil , (15g)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 chopped onion
• olive oil
• 2 x 400 g tin of quality plum tomatoes
• 250g The Italian Place Maccheroncini
• 100g Ricotta Salata
• extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Chop the eggplants into rough 2cm chunks.
2. Drizzle a generous splash of sunflower or vegetable oil into a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the eggplants in a single layer and fry for 5 to 8 minutes, or until softened and golden, stirring occasionally – you may need to do this in batches.
3. Remove eggplant from pan with a slotted spoon, sprinkle with oregano, sea salt, black pepper and half of the finely chopped basil.
4. Crush garlic cloves flat with the back of a knife and leave whole. Add garlic and onion to a medium saucepan and sauté on medium heat until softened and browned. Once golden, add tinned crushed tomatoes, bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes with a pinch of salt and remaining basil. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
5. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water ( salt like the sea, approximately 1 dsp of salt per 1 lt of water) as per the instructions on the back of the pack or until al dente
6. Drain the pasta reserving a cupful of the cooking water
7. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss well adding in the eggplant and half of the grated Ricotta Salata ( Salted Ricotta can be purchased at any good delicatessen, cheese shop and some supermarkets (leave some grated ricotta for sprinkling at the end) if the sauce and pasta seems to thick, loosen it up with the reserved pasta water.
8. Serve hot.