Zagami Family Cookbook: Authentic Italian Cooking by Christy Zagami

Author:Christy Zagami [Zagami, Christy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-07-16T00:00:00+00:00

Pasta alla Norma

1 large eggplant

2 T olive oil plus more for eggplant

2 cloves of crushed garlic

2 T tomato paste plus 1/2 cup water

15 little tomatoes ( leave the small ones

but cut the bigger ones in half )

1 t red pepper flakes

1 t sugar

4-5 fresh basil leaves torn

1 cup ricotta salata, feta cheese, or grated pecorino

300 grams ziti or spaghetti

1 t salt,

1 t pepper

Peel and cut eggplant into 1 inch cubes. Place in a colander, sprinkle 1 T salt and let them sit in the drain an hour. Rinse off the eggplant well and pat dry. You can either bake or fry the eggplant, it’s up to you. I alternate between both techniques. You need lots of olive oil handy if you decide to fry them. For baking: coat the eggplant in olive oil and layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F until golden brown. If you are frying, brown on both sides, drain on a paper towel, and set aside.

In a large frying pan on medium heat, add 2 T olive oil, red pepper, saute one minute, then add 2 T tomato paste, ½ cup water, little tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, and torn basil. Stir and let simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime, boil a pot of salted water for the pasta, I use ziti. Add the crispy eggplant at the end of the pasta cooking time, and stir on medium-low heat. Add cheese and fresh basil, then mince a clove of garlic in the sauce and give it a stir. Add one ladle of pasta water, add the cooked pasta directly to the sauce, the starch water will enable the sauce to stick to the pasta, mix and manticare. Top with grated pecorino, ricotta salata, or feta cheese, and a basil leaf. Serving suggestion: fresh bread and salad. Serves 2-3. Olé

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