Spaghetti alla Norma (english recipe)

Another great pasta recipe from Meni – his 3rd favourite pasta: Spaghetti alla Norma.

Ingredients for 2 persons:

-ricotta salata 200g
-fresh basil 10g
-olive oil 30g
-aubergines 500g
-garlic 5g
-peeled tomatoes 800g
-cooking salt 50g
-(to fry aubergines) peanuts oil 700g
-spaghetti 300g

PREPARATION:

Wash aubergines and cut them into slices about 0,5 cm tall.
Put the slices in sheets into a small colander laying on a bowl. Cover each sheet of aubergines with salt when u put into the small colander.
Press a plate (or some heavy object) over the aubergines to eliminate water and the bitter flavour letting them rest for 1-2 hours.
Put olive oil into a non-stick pan with tall boards and a couple garlic cloves to become blondes. When they are, add tomatoes salt and pepper.
Let them cook at low heat for about 15-20 minutes, until they boil.
Put the sauce into a sieve to eliminate all the seeds, then let it cook for 10 more minutes.
When ready, fire off and add basil. Keep the sauce for later.
Take back aubergines, wash them to eliminate the salt then dry them with a clean rag well dry.
Fill a tall pan with the peanuts oil and bring it at 170° temperature.
Put the slices of aubergines gradually into the oil, not too much of them together so you don’t raise too much temperature.
When they are fried, dry them, then cut once more into thin slices.
Add aubergines and almost all tomato sauce you made into a large pan (save a little bit of sauce for later).
Cook spaghetti al dente, then add them directly to the sauce and aubergines into the large pan.
Sautee spaghetti for few minutes to make them more tasty, then add the grated ricotta salata and the rest of sauce. Guarnish with basil leaves.

Buon appetito!