Gnocchi alla norma

I have already posted a recipe for gnocchi in a previous post. This is a very slight variation on that recipe. "Salsa alla Norma" is a typical Sicilian tomato sauce that includes fried aubergines. This is my version which is much lighter as the aubergines are not fried, and yet they have plenty of flavour. For this recipe, I recommend buying Japanese aubergines which can be fount at most Cold Storage or Japanese food outlets. They are smaller in size, but full of flavour and look great when presented with this dish.

Slice them into 5mm slices and rub with a little salt, then set aside for about 15-20 minutes. You will notice that they will have "sweat" out excess water, which needs to be pat dried with some kitchen paper or cloth. Done that, heat up a large frying pan and don't add any oil. When it's nice and hot, cover it with the sliced aubergines, but only as many as you can fit (you might have to do this 3-4 times in order to cook all the slices). Grill the first side until golden brown, then turn them and do the same with the other side. Once ready, remove and set aside.

Finally, cook the gnocchi and sauce as described in the other gnocchi recipe, serve and decorate with the grilled aubergines on top. These will taste fantastic once mixed with the tomato sauce!