PENNE ALLA NORMA

Penne with eggplant Norma Style 

Category:	Pasta
Yield:	4 portions
Nos portion/Portion size:	500 g
Preparation Time	25 minutes
Cooking Time	60 minutes
Total time	60 minutes

RECIPE
Ingredients	Unit	Gross weight	Net weight
RECIPE
Penne	g	500
Eggplant	g	300
EVOO	ml	25
Fresh garlic	g	20
Plum tomato	Kg	1.5
Salt	About	About
Dry salted Sheep Ricotta	g	150
Fresh Basil	g	20

METHOD

To make pasta alla Norma, first wash and dry the eggplant well, and trim it. Cut it into diced and transfer to a colander. Sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for at least 15 minutes. Place in a pot some olive oil, 15 g garlic, and the tomato with a handful of basil. Let this cook over low heat for 30 minutes without adding anything else; the tomatoes will release their liquid. After 30 minutes, remove the garlic and basil. Transfer the tomatoes to a food mill fitted with the finest disc and grind them. Once you’ve got your purée, transfer it to a pot, add the leftovers garlic and more basil. Let it cook for another 40 minutes, stirring every once in a while. At this point, you can rinse the eggplant well, drying it with paper towel. Next, pour the extra virgin olive oil in a deep pot and bring it to a temperature of around 340-350°F (170-180°C). Immerse the diced of eggplant and cook them until turn nicely golden. At this point, remove the eggplant from the pot and transfer to a tray lined with paper towel. Put a pot full of water on the stove, which you’ll use to cook the pasta. Cook the pasta until it’s al dente, drain, and pour into the sauce. Flip the pan quickly to cover the pasta with the sauce, add the fried eggplant, plenty of grated ricotta salata, and then your Pasta Alla Norma is ready to be served.