Roasted Pasta alla Norma

I have no idea who Norma is but apparently she makes a tasty pasta with roasted stuff in it. I got the recipe from Rachael Ray and it was simple and tasty. It has roasted eggplant, tomatoes, and garlic. Plus basil and ricotta. (I love ricotta!) The roasting took a little while but you don't have to watch it or anything. I was very skeptical about eggplant in pasta but it turns out I like it! I used canned instead of fresh tomatoes but it worked fine. Surprised by the good quality of the picture? Yeah, I got it from Rach. Mine did pretty much look like that though, but without the well-lit kitchen and the attractive blue bowl.

I am very intrigued by fresh herbs. Can you use dried instead or no way? Why are they so expensive for such a small amount? I think the answer might be I should start growing my own. Probably not any time soon but I'll keep it in mind. What do you think?