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Pasta alla Norma

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This simple Italian dish is great the first night, and possibly even better the next day. We like to put leftover sauce on hunks of toasted bread, melt mozzarella over it, and top it all off with a fried egg. (So. Good.)

Pasta alla Norma
 
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Serves: 4 – 6, with leftover sauce.
Ingredients
  • 2 medium eggplants, rinsed and cut into bite-size cubes
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • ¾ dry white wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cans (28 oz each) whole tomatoes
  • Crushed red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 6 – 8 large fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1 lb. pasta (we like short, sturdy shapes for this sauce like penne and rigatoni)
  • Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
  1. In a Dutch oven or large soup kettle set over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering; add the eggplant and season to taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook the eggplant, stirring occasionally, until its just beginning to soften, 5-8 minutes. Remove the eggplant and set aside.
  2. Drizzle another 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pan and add the onion. Season the onion with salt and pepper and sauté until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and continue to cook until fragrant, about another minute. Add the wine and bay leaf and cook until wine has reduced by half, 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, squeezing each one in your hand to break it up a bit. Reduce heat to low, season again with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens, 20 – 25 minutes. Add the eggplant and continue to cook until the sauce has reached desired consistency, another 20 – 25 minutes. (The eggplant should be tender, but still holding its shape.) Turn off the heat and stir in the basil. Check seasonings and adjust to taste.
  3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until just al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with some of the eggplant sauce. Plate the pasta and top with more sauce and hefty sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

 

About Sharon Damelio

I love to cook and to write–both of which I learned at my parents’ elbows. After graduating from college, I worked at Fine Cooking magazine as the Assistant Web Editor. After two glorious years there, I returned to graduate school and now work at WhyHunger, an NYC-based nonprofit that is building a movement to end hunger and increase access to fresh, nutritious food. In the kitchen, I fancy myself the culinary version of an armchair-traveler, but I’m also a devoted baker. Some days, when work is overwhelming and the world seems bleak, methodically creating a batch of bread, cookies, or scones is all the relaxation I need.

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