Bring a large pot of water (4 to 5 quarts) to a boil over high heat.
While water is heating, cut the eggplant and chop the garlic. (If you prefer the eggplant without the peel, you can remove some or all of it.)
Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large non-reactive pan on medium heat.
Add chopped garlic and cook for a minute or two over medium heat, being careful NOT to brown it.
Add tomatoes. Stir often with a wooden spoon, breaking them up as you mix. Cook for 10 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt to taste and keep warm.
While tomatoes are cooking, toss the diced eggplant in a bowl with ¼ cup of evoo. Heat a second nonstick pan (large enough to accommodate all the eggplant in one layer) on medium heat, add the remaining 2 TBS of oil and sauté the eggplant—stirring often—until golden. This should take about 10 minutes. Salt to taste and keep warm.
Once the water has reached a rapid boil, add salt to taste and then the pasta. Cook until very al dente (about 1 minute less than the recommended cooking time on package directions).
When pasta is ready, reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain the rest.
Transfer the pasta to the pan with the tomato sauce along with basil leaves and some of the pasta water as needed to keep the sauce moist but not too wet; mix well on low heat until all the flavors are well incorporated, making sure that all the pasta water has been absorbed.
Sommelier’s Notes:
Pasta alla Norma heils from Catania on the Eastern coast of Sicily. From this historic city you can see Etna, the largest active Volcano in Europe. The volcanic soils around this majestic mountain are perfect for growing fruits and vines. The red wine Tenuta Terre Nere Etna Rosso is the perfect expression of this land and this climate growing high on the slopes of the volcano a blend of local varieties Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio. Fresh, fragrant, beautifully slender and with aroma of ripe fruits and sweet spices is the perfect match for our PASTA ALLA NORMA!
National Pasta Association Recipe