Pasta alla Norma with Sardines
Alla Norma with a tin of sardines folded through. The eggplant and tomatoes do most of the work — slowly roasted until soft, sweet and a bit jammy. From there it comes together in the pan with garlic, a spoonful of bone broth concentrate for real depth, and the sardines, all tossed through bronze die spelt penne with a splash of pasta water.
Big flavour, mostly from the oven. A few good tins and a couple of vegetables, you’re absolutely welcome!
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant (or 2 smaller Japanese eggplants), cut into roughly 2cm cubes
- 500g ripe tomatoes - plum, vine or cherry - chopped into wedges, or halved if small
- Olive oil, generously
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 500g Stock Merchant Spelt Penne
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Stock Merchant Chicken Bone Broth Concentrate
- 2 tins Stock Merchant Sardines in olive oil
- A good handful of basil or parsley, roughly torn
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Pecorino or parmesan, to finish (optional)
Method
Heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan.
Spread the eggplant and tomatoes across a large oven tray – or two, they want room. Drizzle generously with olive oil, season well, and toss to coat. Roast for 30–35 minutes, turning halfway, until the eggplant is golden and tender and the tomatoes have collapsed into something jammy.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente. Before draining, scoop out a mug of pasta water.
Pour the oil from the sardine tins – all of that flavour – into a large pan over medium heat with another good glug of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so until soft and fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and let it fry for another minute or two until it deepens in colour.
Spoon in the bone broth concentrate with a small splash of pasta water and stir until it melts into the base – this is where the savoury depth comes from.
Tip in the roasted eggplant and tomatoes along with the capers and another splash of pasta water. Mash a few of the tomatoes into the sauce, leave the rest whole.
Lower the heat. Slide the sardines in and break them up just enough to fold through – you want big pieces, not paste. Add the spaghetti and toss it all together with another splash of pasta water until the sauce is silky and clinging to every strand of the bronze die pasta.
Off the heat, finish with torn basil and parsley, a final drizzle of olive oil, the lemon zest, and a grating of pecorino if you've got it.
Dinner, delicious!
