Embark on a twist to the classic Sicilian journey with our Penne alla Norma ! Rich, creamy, and utterly indulgent, this dish transforms the traditional with a velvety embrace that marries perfectly with the robust tomato and tender eggplant. Get ready for a simple recipe that will elevate your pasta night to a perfect Italian experience with the last eggplants of the season :)
Season: Ideally from June to September
Time: 25 minutes
Ingrédients (4 people):
- Two eggplants
- 300g Peeled tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree (optional)
- Tomatoes
- 400g of pasta
- Sparkle of chili flakes (optional)
- 3 gloves Garlic
- 2 Shallots (optional)
- piment d'Espelette (optional)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- pepper
- Rosemary
- thym
- Ricotta/burrata
Procedure:
Rinse and cut your eggplants into 1 to 2 cm cubes. Fry them at medium temperature in a generous amount of olive oil for 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove them from the pan and place them on absorbent paper.
Begin your tomato sauce by gently frying your garlic with some chili flakes to taste (optional, but it definitely enhances the flavor!). Shortly after, add your finely chopped shallots and let them caramelize. Adding a pinch of salt will prevent them from burning.
Add your peeled tomatoes. Depending on their sweetness or bitterness, you can adjust the taste by adding a little sugar or, conversely, a bit of tomato purée. Crush the peeled tomatoes in the pan to achieve a smooth sauce. Cook for 10 minutes.
Season with spices (thyme, rosemary, black pepper, salt, piment d'Espelette) to taste. Add some pasta water and then your pasta. About 3-5 minutes before serving, add your eggplants and mix well.
Serve with grated ricotta as they do in Sicily, or as shown in the picture, topped with a creamy burratina!
Nutritional value per serving: 550 kcal | 23 grams of fat | 21 grams of protein
C02 values for the cake per serving: 785 grams of C02