Sicilian Macaroni with Cheese and Eggplants (Sicily)

Pasta

Ingredients

Eggplants - 8

Salt

Olive oil

Ripe tomatoes - 2 pounds

Garlic, crushed - 1 clove

Pepper

Basil, finely chopped - 2-3 sprigs

Macaroni - 1 1/2 pounds

Salami, sliced - 1/4 pound

Mozzarella cheese, diced - 1/4 pound

Grated pecorino or parmesan cheese - 2/3 cup

Hard boiled eggs, sliced - 2

Wipe the eggplants, peel and cut them into 1/2 inch thick slices. Sprinkle the slices with salt and leave on a rack or a tilted plate to drain off excess liquid. Dry well.

Heat plenty of olive oil and fry the eggplant slices until brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Line the bottom and sides of the dish with the eggplants, overlapping the slices. 

Peel and chop the tomatoes, discarding seeds. Pour off all but about 1 cup oil from the pan. Saute the garlic until brown and discard it. Add the tomatoes ,season with salt and pepper, and cook over a brisk heat for 20 minutes. Stir in basil to taste.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni until tender but still firm. Drain well. Turn into a bowl and mix with the salami, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, tomato sauce and if any is leftover, chopped eggplant. Cover the bottom off the lined dish with the slices eggs. Add the macaroni mixture and bake in a moderately hot oven (400F) for about 20 minutes. Take the dish from the pan, leave to settle for a couple of minutes and turn out. Serve very hot with plenty of additional grated cheese.

Serves 6