First wash and dry the eggplant well, and trim it.

Cut it into slices around .30 inch (8 mm) and transfer to a colander.

Sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for at least 15 minutes.

In the meantime, wash the tomatoes and remove the stems.

Cut in half.

Place in a pot with a pinch of salt, 3 cloves of garlic, and a handful of basil.

Let this cook over low heat for 30 minutes without adding anything else.

After 30 minutes, remove the garlic and basil.

Transfer the tomatoes to a food mill fitted with the finest disc and grind them.

Once you’ve got your purée, transfer it to a pot, add another clove of garlic and a sprig of basil.

Let it cook for another 40 minutes, stirring every once in a while.

Rinse the eggplant well, drying it with paper towel.

Pour the extra virgin olive oil in a deep pot and bring it to a temperature of around 340-350°F (170-180°C).

Immerse a few slices of eggplant at a time in the oil and turn them every now and then.

It will take a few minutes for them to turn nicely golden.

Remove the eggplant from the pot with kitchen tweezers and transfer to a tray lined with paper towel.

Continue frying the eggplant, and in the meantime, put a pot full of water on the stove, which you’ll use to cook the pasta.

Once the sauce is fairly thick, remove the basil, add a spoonful of the oil the eggplant was cooked in and a drizzle of fresh olive oil.

Cook the pasta until it’s al dente, drain, and pour into the sauce.

Flip the pan quickly to cover the pasta with the sauce.

Transfer the pasta to the plates, add the fried eggplant, plenty of grated ricotta salata, a basil leaf, and then your pasta alla Norma is ready to be served!