Pasta alla Norma

When in Athens two weeks ago, I promised some of my Hector(see link on website http://ilmezzogiorno.be/) colleagues that I would publish some simple and easy to prepare meal solutions for them and their families.
What I found from our conversations was that a tooooo great number of people are not able to prepare the simplest of foods. I also realize that there seems to be a great fear and confusion when approaching the subject of food preparation.
So I hope that with the next few recipes I can help you clarify some misunderstandings and misconceptions there are about ingredients and methods.
If you've read the introduction to my blog you'll know that I'm no professional chef and I have no pretences to be one. A cook perhaps but there is nothing chefy about me. My food is home inspired and most my recipes don't require long and laborious preparations.
Being Italian (and working in a Sicilian restaurant) obviously my cooking will reflect that, but having lived the best part of 30 years in the north of Europe I've probably added a few different ingredients and flavours to my repertoire.

I thought about starting with most probably the best known Sicilian pasta dish 'Pasta alla Norma'.
If you wonder who Norma was...the story says that Nino Martoglio a famous comedy writer from Catania after having eaten this dish he exclaimed:"Chi sta e' a Norma" "This is Norma" to indicate its incredible taste and comparing it to the great opera by Bellini 'Norma'.
This is a very basic garlicky tomato sauce with a few fried aubergines added to it at the end. What makes it so special is the ricotta salata (also called cacio in some areas).
Of course, if such delicacy is not found in the area where you live use whatever cheese you have available and if you don't like cheese or don't eat cheese, just don't use any. You'll just enjoy a great 'pasta al pomodoro'
A great French chef Roger Vergé once said:” A recipe is not to be followed exactly, it is a canvas on which you can embroider".
I said I will try and give you a few hints and short cuts so here is the first.

• When you cook pasta use 1 lt. of water for each 100 gr. of pasta.
• Use sea salt and not the so called table salt. Salt has its own distinctive flavour and does make a difference to your final dish.
• Use the best tin tomatoes you can find, preferably Italian and not Chinese
• Use the best Italian pasta avaialbe where you live. I use, when I find it, Faella or Latini. When I can't find any of these roll royces of pasta then I go forDe Cecco that is available in most supermarkets. And if you really have to, then use Barilla.

Ingredients for 4 hungry people
400 gr. of good quality pasta -whatever shape you like
1 aubergine medium size about 300 or 400 gr
1/2 kg whole tin tomatoes
1 or 2garlic cloves
20 basil leaves
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt, pepper or chilli if you like it hot
Ricotta salata or pecorino cheese or any cheese you have available where you live but preferably a sheep cheese

Put on the stove a big pot with at least 4 lt. of water and add 4 good pinches of sea salt, and
let’s deal with the aubergines.

• Wash them, dry them and peel them with a potato peeler in stripes
• Slice them in rings of 3/4 mm. thick and fry them in a bit of olive oil. To avoid them sucking up too much oil, sprinkle them with a bit of salt as you fry them.
• Do this in batches as not to over crowd the frying pan. Put them aside and absorb any excess oil with a bit of kitchen paper.

Let’s make the tomato sauce.

• In the same frying pan put 4 tbsp. of olive oil, 1 or 2 cloves of garlic (whole or crushed is up to you), the whole tomatoes (squashed them with a fork once in the pan) 10 of the basil leaves, salt pepper and chilli (if you like it a bit hot!!) and turn the fire on.
  
• Once it starts bubbling, turn the heat down to a low/medium flame and cook it for about 20min. Remember to stir it every now and then.
• Add now the remaing basil.
  
• At this point your pasta water will be happily bubbling away.Make sure you still have the required amount of water of 1lt for 100gr of pasta.
• Throw the pasta in and stir it for a few seconds to stop it sticking. Read the cooking time on the packet and whatever it says don't believe it. If you want your pasta al dente you should take it out of the water al least 3 min before. Please don't leave the pasta unattended and start doing other thing like the ironing or watch you favourite soap on TV (like I know some of you do!!!) or you'll end up with a stodgy substance.
• Keep tasting it to check if it is ready. When the outer layer is cooked but it still has a bite in the centre, it is ready.
• Now drain it but make sure you keep at least 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
• Put the pasta in the tomato sauce (which will be nice and hot)
• Turn the heat up, add the cooking water and stir to combine the sauce with the pasta.
• When the cooking water you've added has been absorbed and the pasta is coated with the sauce, and then is ready to serve.
• Plate it and put 2/3 of the aubergine slices on top of each portion.
• Grate the cheese on top
• And now go to the table and enjoy it, may be you'll also say 'Chi sta e a Norma'