Pasta alla Norma – this Sicilian classic pasta with roasted aubergine and a classic tomato sauce packs a lot of punch! Growing up I developed a dislike for the good ol’ brinjal until I was introduced to baba ghanoush and eggplant parmesan! As the horizons of my tastebuds expanded – I started liking the vegetable again. I’m still not a big fan of our desi baingan bharta, but I feel I am getting there!
Striped aubergine, is tossed with EVOO and salt, and roasted until soft and meaty. The sauce is a classic one with chunky tomatoes and herbs. And like every pasta dish, it comes together as you add pasta water and cooked pasta into the pot. And of course, top it with lots of parmesan! If like me, you too are skeptical about the veggie – this one is likely to convert you.
Here are some other pasta favourites –
Pancetta aglio e olio
Spaghetti Carbonara
Fresh Orzo salad
Spaghetti al Limone
Ingredients for Pasta alla Norma – serves 2
- Aubergine – 300g
- EVOO – 4 tbsp – divided
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Spaghetti – 2 oz
- Garlic – 1 tbsp, finely sliced
- Chunky tomatoes – 200g
- Basil – 1 tbsp, chopped
- Red chilli flakes – 1/2 tsp
- Dried oregano – 1 tsp
- Sugar – 1 tbsp
- Parmesan – to top
Method
Prepping the aubergine
- Lengthwise peel alternate lengths of the aubergine skin so as to resemble a zebra pattern.
- Chop the aubergine into approximately 1 cm thick slices.
- In a baking tray, toss it with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt and spread flat on the tray.
- In a pre-heated oven, bake the sliced aubergine for 30 minutes at 220 degrees Celcius.
For the pasta
- While the aubergine cooks, you can get the sauce and pasta ready!
- In a heavy bottom pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil and add the garlic. Cook until light brown.
- Add the chunky tomatoes, sugar, chilli flakes, salt, oregano and basil. Mix well and cook on low heat for 25 minutes, occasionally stirring.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the spaghetti as per the instructions on the packet.
- Add the cooked aubergine to the tomato sauce, and mix.
- Using a slotted spoon, add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce with 1 cup pasta water. Mix well and cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Dish out in a bowl, top with a hearty shaving of parmesan and serve!
ENJOY!!