Pasta A La Norma Recipe 455

PASTA ALLA NORMA RECIPE

Steps:

• Slice and Salt the Eggplant. Trim the eggplant and partially peel them in a striped pattern (zebra pattern). Slice them into ½ inch thick rounds. Season the eggplant slices with kosher salt on both sides and lay them flat for a few minutes (up to 30 minutes if you have the time). Wipe the eggplant dry and remove excess salt using a paper towel.
• Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Roast the eggplant. Brush the bottom of a large sheet pan (or two) with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices in the pans in one single layer (eggplant slices should not overlap, each should be comfortably touching the bottom of the sheet pan). Roast in the heated oven until deeply golden brown, anywhere from 35 to 40 minutes, turning over mid-way through.
• Make the Sauce. Meanwhile, get going on the sauce. In a large deep pan, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, lower the heat and cook, tossing regularly, until the garlic gains a little bit of color. Add the tomatoes (with their juices), oregano and a good pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a quick boil, then lower the heat and let simmer briefly.
• When ready, add the roasted eggplant to sauce. Let simmer while you cook the pasta.
• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions (mine took about 11 minutes). Drain and combine the pasta with the eggplant and sauce (if needed, add a little bit of the pasta water and toss until the pasta is well-coated). Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Add chopped parsley and grated ricotta salata cheese to finish.

PASTA ALLA NORMA: NORMA'S PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the penne in a pot of boiling salted water. Stir to prevent the pasta from sticking together. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce.
• To make the sauce: In a saucepan, heat up 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Gently saute the chopped onions until tender, then add the plum tomatoes and liquid from the can. With the back of a wooden spoon, break up the tomatoes into little chunks. Season the sauce with salt, and pepper, to taste. Cook the tomato sauce for a few minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
• In another pan, heat olive oil and fry the eggplant cubes until golden.
• Drain the eggplant cubes on a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Drain the pasta approximately 2 minutes before the 'al dente' stage and add the pasta to the saucepan. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Add the fried eggplant, basil leaves and sprinkle with ricotta salata. Mix the ingredients together well in the saucepan so that the pasta and the sauce are well amalgamated or combined. Be careful not to overcook the pasta. Transfer the pasta to a warm serving bowl or divide the pasta among warm plates and sprinkle extra ricotta salata on top and serve immediately.

PASTA ALLA NORMA

Steps:

• Slice the eggplant about 1/2 inch thick. Cook in abundant olive oil, without crowding, sprinkling with salt and adding more oil as needed. You will undoubtedly have to cook in batches; take your time and cook until the eggplant is nicely browned and soft. Remove to a plate; do not drain on paper towels. Meanwhile, put a large pot of water to boil and salt it.
• At the end of the cooking the eggplant, the pan will ideally have a couple of tablespoons of oil left. If there's more or less, drain some off or add a bit. Turn the heat to medium, add the garlic and chiles, and cook until the garlic colors a little bit. Add the tomatoes and oregano, along with some salt and pepper; cook until saucy but not too dry, stirring occasionally.
• Cook the pasta until tender but not mushy. While it's cooking, cut the eggplant into strips and reheat for a minute in the tomato sauce. Drain the pasta and toss it with the tomato sauce and the eggplant. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then top with the parsley or basil and grated cheese and serve.

PASTA ALLA NORMA RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Trim the ends of the eggplant, then slice into ½-inch (1 ¼ cm) thick rounds. Lay the eggplant rounds on a paper towel and season generously on both sides with salt. Let rest for 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture. After 10 minutes, pat the eggplant rounds with a paper towel to remove the moisture.
• Heat a griddle pan over medium-high heat and grease with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, or your oil of choice. Grill the eggplant for about 2 minutes on each side, or until grill marks are formed. Set aside to cool, then cut into bite-size pieces.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the smashed garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly browned but not burnt, flipping as needed. Remove the garlic from the oil and set aside to cool, then mince.
• To the garlic oil, add the chopped tomatoes. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until caramelized. Add the reserved tomato juice and simmer until reduced to a sauce-like consistency, 5-8 minutes.
• Add ½ teaspoon salt, the red pepper flakes, and the minced fried garlic. Stir well, reduce the heat to low, and simmer while you make the pasta.
• In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and return to the pot.
• Pour the tomato sauce over the hot pasta. Add the eggplant, ricotta salata, and fresh basil. Toss until well combined.
• Serve immediately.
• Enjoy!

PASTA ALLA NORMA

Steps:

• Bring a 2-quart pot of water to a boil. Heat 4 inches of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until it reaches 300 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Line a plate with paper towels.
• Using a peeler, peel the eggplant lengthwise skipping every other stripe so the eggplant looks like a zebra pattern. Dice the eggplant into 1-inch cubes, place in a strainer and lightly sprinkle with salt. Let the water drain from the eggplant in the strainer to get rid of any bitterness, about 15 minutes. Discard the water and pat down the eggplant with paper towels.
• Blanch the eggplant in the hot oil for 7 to 8 minutes (you only want the eggplant to get soft). Take the eggplant out of the oil to the prepared plate, and then turn up the temperature to 350 degrees F.
• Once the temperature reaches 360 degrees F, shut off the heat. Then add the eggplant and turn the heat back on (this will help if the oil spills over a little bit). Deep fry the eggplant until deep golden brown in color, 2 to 3 minutes (the eggplant should look a little wrinkly and have a firm texture on the outside and be soft and silky on the inside). Place the eggplant on fresh paper towels to drain the oil and put aside.
• Add the olive oil to an 8-inch saute pan over medium-low heat. Season the pasta water with salt, place the pasta in the boiling water and cook it 75 percent of the way (about 12 minutes).
• Once the oil is warm, add the garlic and infuse the oil, about 2 minutes (the garlic should not sizzle or brown). Add the dried oregano, cook 1 more minute, and then add the tomato sauce and 1/4 cup pasta water. Reduce while the pasta finishes cooking. If it gets too dry, add more pasta water. Remove the garlic and add a pinch of salt and the torn basil.
• Transfer the pasta to the tomato sauce along with some of the pasta cooking water (1/3 to 1/2 cup). Add the fried eggplant to the pan and toss to combine. Turn off the heat and add the Parmesan; toss again. Finish with the butter and toss a final time.
• Place the pasta into plates and grate the ricotta salata with a large grater over top. Top with a basil leaf or two and serve immediately.