BELLINI’S PASTA NORMA
Serves 4

1 Medium red onion, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
4 tbls. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 28 ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, squeezed by hand
2 sprigs basil
1 sprig thyme
1 pound rigatoni
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 to 3 small red chile peppers
1/2 pound ricotta salata, (hard, dry ricotta cheese), coarsely grated

Print Friendly Format

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a 12 to 14 inch saute pan, heat olive oil. add onions and garlic and cook until soft yet not browned, about 5 minutes. Add eggplant (eggplant can be roasted ahead of time) and cook, stirring until softened and lighly browned, about 10 minutes, covered. Add
tomatoes, basil, chile peppers, red wine, thyme and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and cook the rigatoni until al-dente.
Drain pasta and pour into the saute pan with the eggplant sauce.
Mix well to coat. Sprinkle the ricotta salata over and serve immediately.