I've done
Pasta alla Norma before at Rebel and this is my variation on the theme. Fairly simple, meatless and good. Instead of Norma's Ricotta Salata - a dry, salty ricotta cheese, I am using fresh ricotta in this recipe.
Actually, I'm using a fresh, homemade faux ricotta - curds made with heated whole milk, vinegar and salt. True ricotta is made from heated whey left from making mozzarella or other rennet based cheese. The whey is heated again (ri-cotta or re-cooked) with salt and vinegar to release more curds which are the ricotta cheese. This was my first attempt at making this cheese, also called paneer. It is very mild and creamy and is very similar to ricotta.
For this dish you will need olive oil, fresh garlic, an onion, an eggplant (diced in large pieces), some fresh mushrooms (sliced), fresh or frozen basil, a can of peeled plum tomatoes, salt and pepper,
one pound of pasta (something large like rigatoni or festinate), ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan or romano.
You will need substantial olive oil - a third to a half cup - because both eggplant and mushrooms are oil sponges. (
It's OK - we know olive oil is good for you)
 |
| Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil |
 |
| Add the diced eggplant |
 |
| Add the sliced mushrooms |
 |
Crush the tomatoes into the mix
along with some of the juice |
 |
Cook the pasta, drain and toss
with the eggplant-mushroom sauce |
 |
| Top with ricotta, mozzarella and grated Romano |
La cena e pronta! - Dinner's Ready!
Un può di vino e Buon' appetito!
No comments:
Post a Comment