Last week I did a cooking demo at the Whole Foods Market in Middletown, N.J. 
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/middletown/  showing one of (yes, another one of)
my favorite pasta dishes.  This Sicilian pasta preparation is known as Pasta Alla Norma.  The
dish was named after an Opera by Bellini called Norma.  The dish is a typical pairing of pasta
with tomatoes and fried or sauteed eggplant, basil, onion, and chili, liberally showered with
a snowfall of Ricotta Salata, a hard salted ricotta cheese.  While the Norma title was given
in the 1800's, the dish is much older.  This demo ended my Pasta Italiana series.  Thanks to
all who attended the 4 weekly sessions and I hope you were inspired to re-create some
of the pastas in your own kitchens.  The sharing of this knowledge is the best part of cooking.
Let me take to you know to the City of Catania in Sicily where this dish is a regional favorite.
Ok, not really Catania, but imagine your kitchen to be in a typical Eastern Sicilian city and
let's start cooking.
Our ingredients are:  6 small eggplants, cubed and salted. 2 cans of San Marzano tomatoes;
2 cloves of garlic, minced, handful of fresh basil leaves; 1 cup of grated Ricotta Salata, Olive
oil, 1 can of tomato paste, 1 tsp. chili flakes, salt, 1 lb. ziti, cooked al dente. 

  Here is a CRUCIAL step in making this dish
taste authentically Sicilian.  The sauces are thicker and sweeter, more concentrated and deep in their
tomato flavor due to the use of Estratto, or sundried tomato concentrate.  Not too easy to find here, but
you can easily use 1 can of tomato paste, preferably from Italy or Greece.  In a heavy wide and deep pan
heat 3 tbs of olive oil.  Add 3/4 of the minced garlic.  Saute' for 2 minutes.. add the chili,Then add the paste and let this
cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Tomato has lots of natural sugars in it and will burn, so
pay attention here.  This cooking of the paste will bring out the sweetness of the tomato and concentrate
the flavor in the sauce.  Next add the 2 cans of tomatoes, mix well, crushing the tomatoes with the back
of a spoon.  Season with salt, adding a few basil leaves.  Let this simmer for 15 minutes.   
  In another wide skillet, heat 3 tbs. of olive oil, add 1/2 of
the eggplant and fry this for about 7 minutes, stirring frequently. When the eggplant looks like in the picture, with a nice
golden brown crust on it, taste one.  It should be velvety soft on the inside.  That's the key to its' being cooked.  With
a slotted spoon, add the eggplant to the tomato sauce.
 Stir this into the sauce and continue to simmer for another
10 minutes.
  The sauce will start to give off its' exotic perfume of eggplant
and basil....the fruitiness of the olive oil starts to shine through as well....ahhhhhhhhh
Bring the oil back up to medium heat and fry off the remainder
of the eggplant same as before, only add the balance of the garlic about 5 minutes into your frying.  Reduce the heat.  When
cooked, turn off the heat and add about 1/4 cup of the Ricotta Salata.  Pour the pasta into a bowl and lightly oil it.  Add 1/4 cup
of the ricotta salata, then sauce it generously with the tomato sauce.
Tear a few basil leaves in the pasta and combine the
sauce and pasta.  Top the bowl with the unsauced fried eggplant and 1/4 cup of the ricotta salata, and more torn basil
leaves.  Serve with the extra Ricotta salata on the side.
  Finito!  Add a side salad of maybe, arugula
sliced radicchio, a white balsamic and olive oil dressing....some Sicilian olives...and good bread....throw in
some good red wine or an iced espresso with orange slices ....and like they say in the movie, Take the cannoli...
you'll need them for dessert.