Pasta with aubergines and tomatoes

Francesco Mazzei serves the Sicilian classic, pasta alla norma with this pasta with tomatoes and aubergine recipe.

📝 Ingredients

• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 8 basil leaves, plus a few extra for ganish
• 10 anchovy fillets, drained
• 1 tbsp of capers
• 400 g of zitoni pasta
• 1 aubergine, halved lengthways
• 500 ml of sunflower oil
• plain flour, for dusting
• 2 tbsp of pecorino
• 2 tbsp of ricotta, shavings
• 300 g of white onion, very finely sliced
• 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 kg large ripe tomato
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
• 20 basil leaves
• sea salt

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Begin by making the tomato sauce. Put the onion into a saucepan with half the oil and let it sweat slowly over a low-medium heat for around 15 minutes until it's soft (do not allow it to colour). If it looks as though it might catch, add a splash of water to the pan
2. 2Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Leave to simmer over a low heat for about 45 minutes, until the tomatoes are thick and rich, adding a little water if the level of the liquid gets too low. Remove from the heat
3. 3Put the remaining oil in another pan with the garlic and cook over a low-medium heat. When it's almost golden brown, add the basil leaves and stir. Pass the oil through a sieve into the cooked tomato sauce
4. 4Whisk the sauce to break up the tomatoes. If it's too thick, thin it with a little water, ideally some pasta cooking water. Pass the sauce through a wide-holed sieve resting over a bowl, and use the back of a ladle to extract the smooth mixture. Check the seasoning and add more salt if neccessary
5. 5To make the aubergine and tomato pasta, place the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and sweat the garlic until golden
6. 6Add the basil, anchovies, capers and 250ml of the tomato sauce and heat through, then keep on a low heat
7. 7Cook the zitoni according to the packet instructions, until al dente, then drain, reserving 240ml of the cooking liquid
8. 8While the pasta is cooking, heat the sunflower oil in a deep saucepan or fat fryer until it reaches 185°C
9. 9Dust the aubergine slices with flour and fry the aubergines until nice and golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. It is important to coat the aubergines in the flour as this stops the oil getting to the flesh and prevents the aubergines going soggy
10. 10Stir the pasta into the sauce with about a ladleful of the reserved cooking liquid. Mix well, add the pecorino, then divide between warmed serving bowls, top with the fried aubergine slices, then sprinkle over the ricotta and extra basil leaves