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from the kitchen of Nicoletta LaMarca Sacco 2 medium globe eggplants or 3-4 small Asian eggplants Kosher salt ¾ to 1 cup neutral flavor oil for frying 1 pound spaghetti, penne, or pennette pasta 2 cups Mama' Melina's Spicy Tomato Sauce (recipe in this issue) 8 ounces ricotta salata or VioLife feta cheez Prepare the eggplant: slice eggplant into ½ inch slices. Layer in a colander, sprinkling with salt between each layer. Top this stack with a tea kettle filled with water to weigh them for 30-45 minutes to drain excess juice. Rinse off the salt, dry slices on paper towels, and fry in hot oil until golden. Set aside on paper towels until all eggplant is done, then prepare the pasta. Cook pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Drain and place in a bowl. Toss with ¾ of the sauce and half the crumbled cheese, reserving the rest for topping. Divide pasta into each bowl and add egg- plant around the edge of the bowl, more sauce and cheese to the middle. Can be served at room temperature over hot pasta or with crackers or crostini instead of pasta. Serves 6 as a one-dish meal or 8 as a primo piatto (first course) From the book Sicilian Feasts by Giovanna Bellia LaMarca
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