Pasta alla Norma- Eggplant heaven!

I don't know who Norma was but she sure inspired a great pasta sauce.  My great friend Gaby introduced me to pasta alla Norma in Kelowna a few years ago.  I missed this dish... If you love eggplant, try this out.

Pasta alla Norma served with tomato basil bruschetta.

Serves two generously.  Can be doubled.

Ingredients

1              large aubergine, cut into 2cm dice
1              onion, finely diced
Salt
4 tbsp      extra virgin olive oil
3             garlic cloves, finely chopped
4             tomatoes (about a tin), drained and roughly chopped (or jar of passata)
25g        basil
1/2 cup  olives (kalamatas or a mixture of green and black olives)
1 tbsp    anchovy paste (optional)
200g      fusilli or spaghetti
2 tbsp    grated ricotta salata or pecorino or parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees

Toss the eggplant cubes in a bowl with half the oil,then bake, well spread out, for about 15-20 minutes until caramelised, turning occasionally to make sure the pieces don’t dry out.

Meanwhile, heat the other half of the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat and add the garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add the onions and cook until softened- about five minutes.  Add the tomatoes (or the passata), the anchovy paste and half the basil and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat and cook slowly for about 20 to 30 minutes until thickened (the exact time will depend on your tomatoes).  Add the olives.

Once the sauce is almost ready, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water to your liking. Add the aubergine to the sauce and discard the basil. Drain the pasta and toss in the sauce, then divide between plates and sprinkle with the ricotta and the remaining basil leaves, roughly torn over the top. It’s best allowed to cool slightly before eating.