It has been awhile since I’ve cooked something interesting for myself. After my trip a few months ago which included Sicily, I’ve had a hankering for Pasta alla Norma. Today I saw that my DVR had picked up the Met’s broadcast of Norma, after which the pasta was names. I figured that was the signal, so I gathered my ingredients and did it.
Always use short pasta. I made a simple tomato sauce from San Marzano and fried eggplant. Use ricotta salata and fresh basil. This is a really easy one. Always fry the eggplant in olive oil, don’t grill. I think this is best with a base of garlic in the sauce rather than onion (pick one or the other and don’t burn garlic).
For my second, I opted for scaloppine al limone e vino bianco… again with the south and the lemons, though this isn’t so much a southern thing.
After pounding out the scaloppine, flouring it, and giving it proper color in the butter, I put them aside and deglazed with lemon juice and white wine, adding a touch of thyme and a couple little threads of saffron.
VERY seedy lemon. I had to sort that out.
Since
UPDATE Monday 18 June:
Since I was in the mood, I threw together a pizza. I had a pre-made crust. I like pizza super thin and crispy. Sauce: I had made before. Cheese: a combination of what I had on hand. With a sprinkling of thyme and lots of fresh basil = Lunch.
You’ve likely already seen them, but there are some handy tools that you can try to shave off some time: the lemon press here
… and the garlic press here –
… and shoppers can also support our host with a small commission by clicking over there from this website.
[Thanks for that!]
When I saw the heading “Fr. Z’s Kitchen: the South” I thought we were in for fried chicken, collard greens and hush puppies and was pleasantly surprised. I should try eggplant again, haven’t had much luck with it in the past.
Mmmmm. Looks good. I will have to try these. I have found that the trick to frying eggplant, which I do for ratatouille, is not to give it all the olive oil it wants as it can absorb the whole bottle. I learned the hard way to use just enough to lightly coat the surface so it doesn’t stick. Keep it tossed until very lightly browned as Fr. Z’s photos show. [That’s right! Just enough to get that fry on without turning it into oil sponge.]
And, Father, you seem to have stepped up from the hot plate. Congratulations!
Was your mother Italian?
[No, my mother is not Italian.]
Another eggplant pasta recipe, this from Ormond Plantation, just west of New Orleans and a few miles from Oak Alley.
Eggplant Maurepas
Eggplant slices lightly breaded and fried
served on angel hair pasta topped with
sautéed shrimp, blue claw crabmeat,
and artichoke hearts in a creamy roasted
tomato sauce.