My appetite for Italy
My appetite for Italy
Pasta alla Norma
Recipes by category
Ingredients (serves 4 ):
700 g of fresh parmigioano reggiano (see Useful tips: Parmigiano reggiano)
4 tbsp. (60 ml) of olive oil (see Useful tips: Cooking oil)
1 big eggplant cut in 1 cm slices
454 gr package of Delverde Linguine (see Useful tips: Pasta "al dente")
2 tbsp. (30 ml) of olive oil (see Useful tips: Cooking oil)
120 g of thinly sliced pancetta and ruffly chopped (see Useful tips: Pancetta)
4 cloves of garlic, crushed in a garlic press (see Useful tips: Garlic)
2 tbsp. (30 g) of Alpino tomato paste
½ tsp. (2.5 g) of cayenne pepper flakes or 1 peperoncino, chopped
30 cherry tomatos cut in half
½ cup (125 g) of chopped fresh basil (see Useful tips: Basil)
Salt and pepper
Parmigiano reggiano (see Useful tips: Parmigiano reggiano)
Basil leaves
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil from Italy (see Useful tips: Olive oil from Italy)
Preparing the pasta:
Fill a large pot with 4 liters of water and bring to a boil, then add a handfull of salt. Only add the pasta once you have started preparing the sauce, as the pasta only takes a 4 minutes to cook. If you chose another pasta, adjust the preperation and cooking time accordingly.
Preparing the sauce:
In the pan used for the eggplant, over medium high heat, fry the pancetta, garlic, peperoncino or cayenne pepper and tomato paste in 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) of olive oil for 2 minutes (do not let the garlic brown as it will become bitter). ** At this point, cook the pasta. ** Add the cherry tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste.
When the pasta is ready, transfer with kitchen tongs into the sauce, then add 1/2 cup (125 g) of basil, stir and place approximately 110 g of pasta in each parmesan bowl. When serving, add fried eggplant cubes, a little grated parmigiano reggiano, an drixxle of extra virgin olive oil from Italy and a few basil leaves.
Preheat the oven at 350ºF (180ºC).
Preparing the parmigiano bowls:
Grate 140g of parmigiano reggiano with a large grater. On a baking sheet, form a cheese crepe of 24 cm in diameter. Bake for 4 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Using a spatula, slide the crepe over a bowl turned upside down (the bottom of the bowl should have a diameter of about 11 cm). Let cool for 30 minutes. Repeat to make 4 bowls.
Preparing the eggplant:
Salt the eggplant slices, place on a paper towel to absorb excess water and let stand for 20 minutes. Cut the slices into cubes. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, heat the oil and fry the eggplant cubes until they are dark brown. Set aside on a paper towel.
Enjoy your meal!