Pasta alla Norma

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 onion(s)
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• basil, fresh
• 500 ml tomato(s), pureed
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt
• 1 large eggplant(s)
• olive oil
• 200 g pasta (spaghetti or penne)
• 100 g ricotta salata
• Peperoncini or black pepper
• basil

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

Cook the tomato sauce: Sauté finely chopped onion and garlic clove in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until translucent. Add the passata, several torn fresh basil leaves, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and salt. Let it thicken for about 20-30 minutes. You’ll need 250 ml of the sauce for the pasta. Pasta: Cut the eggplant into sticks, season generously with salt, and place them in a sieve for an hour to remove the bitterness. Wash thoroughly and pat dry. Fill a saucepan 1 cm deep with olive oil and fry the eggplant sticks until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water according to the package instructions. Heat 250 ml of tomato sauce, mix with the drained pasta, half of the ricotta, and fresh basil. Decorate the pasta with the eggplant sticks and sprinkle with the remaining ricotta.