Ziti with Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Salted Ricotta

Name: Ziti with Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Salted Ricotta
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 2 or 3 small firm eggplants (1 pound total); 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste; 1 cup vegetable oil; 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for a final flourish; 4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled; 1/4 teaspoon peperoncino flakes; 4 cups (or a 35-ounce can) canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand; 1 pound ziti; 6 large fresh basil leaves; 2 cups ricotta salata (see Sources, page 340), freshly shredded on a hand grater; A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 12 inches or wider, for frying the eggplant and then cooking the sauce and pasta; A large pot, 8-quart capacity, with a cover, for cooking the pasta

December 14, 2011

Sicilians are passionate about both food and opera, so it is no surprise that one of the island’s most celebrated dishes is pasta alla Norma. What better way to honor the composer Vincenzo Bellini, a native son of Catania (on Sicily’s eastern coast), than to name a delicious pasta for Norma, one of the great operatic masterworks of all time? I love both the opera and the dish, and, I can assure you, aside from their name, they’re quite different. Those of you familiar with opera know that the title role of Norma is so difficult that only the greatest sopranos ever sing it. On the other hand, this recipe is simple and easily made.

Recipe notes

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