Erica De Mane

Recipe below: Pasta alla Norma, Early Fall Style

Watching the rise of a presidential candidate who seems to have no morals, warmth, or humanity, all the hallmarks of a sociopath, has put my soul in an dark place. I wake up some mornings with the deep creeps. How did we go so low? In the seventies and eighties in New York this man was considered a vulgar joke, about on the level of World Championship Wrestling. If my father were alive, how could he believe it?

Before watching the first debate with some friends, I thought about what I wanted to serve. I knew it should be something that reached back into my ancestry, grounding me, making me feel whole and connected. I chose pasta alla Norma, the great eggplant dish from Catania, always one of my favorites. I happened to have some bruised, cracked sauce tomatoes, and a couple of dark, classic bowling-pin shaped eggplants, all from Migliorelli Farm. Nostalgia for the end of summer was setting in while misery at this ugly, stupid election ate away at my gut. So, pasta alla Norma it was. The debate didn’t lessen my disgust for that narcissistic slob, but the pasta tasted great. I know our candidate’s childish taste in food. He wouldn’t go near this beautiful dish. And anyone who wouldn’t love pasta alla Norma is a loser. Sad.

(Serves 5)

Extra-virgin olive oil
2 large summer garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 fresh red peperoncino, minced
About 2 cups diced eggplant, the skin left on, plus 1 small unskinned eggplant cut into thin rounds
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup sweet Marsala
4 or 5 medium-size round summer tomatoes, skinned, seeded, diced (about 2½ cups or so) and well drained to remove excess water (reserve the tomato water for loosening the pasta, if needed)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A generous pinch of pimenton d’ Espelette pepper
About 8 large marjoram sprigs, the leaves only, plus a small palmful of leaves for garnish
1 pound penne
A chunk of ricotta salata
⅓ cup blanched almonds, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
A few large mint sprigs, the leaves lightly chopped

In a large skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium flame. Add the garlic, peperoncino, chopped eggplant, and cinnamon, and sauté until the eggplant is fragrant and golden, about 7 minutes or so. Add the Marsala, and let it boil away. Add the tomatoes and marjoram, and season with salt, black pepper, and pimenton. Let simmer, uncovered, at a low bubble for about 8 minutes, just until the eggplant is cooked through. Turn off the heat.

Set up a large pot of pasta cooking water, and bring it to a boil.

While the water is coming to a boil, set out a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Salt and pepper the eggplant rounds, and place them in the pan, letting them cook until golden on one side, about 2 minutes. Give them a flip and cook until just tender. Lay them out on paper towels.

Add a generous amount of salt to the boiling pasta water, and drop in the penne.

When the penne is al dente, drain it, and pour it into a large serving bowl. Reheat the eggplant sauce if necessary, and pour it over the pasta. Add a little of the reserved tomato water to loosen the sauce, if needed. Grate in about a heaping tablespoon of the ricotta salata, using the large holes on your grater, and give it a toss. Drape the eggplant slices on top. Grate on a little more ricotta salata. Scatter on the almonds, and garnish with the remaining marjoram and the mint. Serve hot.