Casarecce alla Norma

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants
• 1 Red Onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 fresh red chili pepper
• 24 dates tomatoes
• 60 ml olive oil
• 4 tbsp pine nuts
• 4 stems Moroccan mint (or another mint variety)
• 320 g–400 g casarecce (amount depending on appetite; alternatively a similar pasta shape)
• Salt
• 2 tsp Tomato paste
• 100 ml vegetable stock (approx.)
• 2 tbsp dark balsamic vinegar
• 4 heaping tbsp ricotta

Instructions

1. 1.

   Clean, wash and cut the eggplants into 1 cm cubes. Place them in a large pan and cook without oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to remove moisture and allow them to brown slightly.

2. 2.

   Meanwhile peel and halve the onion, slicing it into rings. Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Deseed, wash and finely chop the chili pepper. Wash the tomatoes and halve them, removing the stems.

3. 3.

   When the eggplants have taken on color, add the onions, garlic, chili, and tomatoes to the pan, pour in the olive oil, and gently simmer for 10–15 minutes while stirring occasionally.

4. 4.

   In the meantime bring water to a boil for the pasta. Toast the pine nuts in an empty pan until lightly browned. Rinse the mint, pat dry, and pluck the leaves. Add the casarecce to the boiling water, season with salt, and cook just shy of al dente.

5. 5.

   Season the vegetables with salt, stir in the tomato paste, and deglaze with vegetable stock. Add the vinegar and let it reduce briefly.

6. 6.

   Drain the pasta into a colander, return it to the pan, and toss for 1 minute so the noodles coat well with the sauce. Divide onto deep plates, add a spoonful of ricotta to each, sprinkle pine nuts on top, and garnish with mint leaves.