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Tag: melanzane

Baked Penne alla Norma for 6-8 people

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On May 1, 2025

In Pasta Dishes

This is a classic Sicilian recipe from the Catania region, featuring grilled sliced eggplant, tomato, Pecorino Romano, and Ricota Salata.  It was named after the composer of the opera Norma, Vincenzo Bellini, a native of Catania, Sicily. There are of course many versions of this recipe, this one is the best! The problem in the US is to find the “Italian ricotta salata.” The authentic Italian ricotta salata is a firm Italian cheese with a crumbly texture and a salty flavor.  You can find it in specialty stores– be sure NOT to use normal ricotta!

Miguel plates the Penne alla Norma

Miguel plates the Penne alla Norma.

 Ingredients

  • 6 large fresh eggplants.
  • 1 and half box of Penne, from a good pasta-maker, for example Mancini, Rummo, or Seggiano.
  • 1 box of chopped Italian tomatoes, such as Pomì (about 750 grams or 26 ounces).
  • ½ cup Pecorino Romano, grated.
  • A very large handful of fresh Italian basil.
  • ½ cup of plain bread crumbs.
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil.
  • 2 smashed cloves of garlic.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • A cup of coarsely ground salt, for sweating the eggplant.
  • Ricotta Salata -You need a big chunk that you will slice using a cheese slicer over the pasta at the very end when comes out of the oven—do not cook the Ricota salata.

Preparation

This recipe requires preparation of grilled fresh eggplant slices, combined with tomato sauce and the cheeses.  You can prepare the grilled eggplant a day in advance, storing the grilled eggplant slices in paper towels in your refrigerator.

Grilled Eggplants

 

Miguel slices eggplant for Penne alla Norma.

Miguel slices eggplant for Penne alla Norma.

 

The eggplants need to be sweated and grilled.

  1. Cut the eggplants longitudinally, with each slice about ½ cm thick. Generously sprinkle the eggplant slices with coarse salt and stack them into a large pan. Add a weight (for example, another heavy pot) on top of the eggplants, and allow them to sweat for about 30 minutes.
  2. Rinse and dry the eggplants.
  3. Put a large grill on the cooktop and bring it to high heat. Once it is very hot, baste the eggplant slices with olive oil and grill them, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Before you flip the eggplant slices, brush the side that was on top with a light layer of olive oil. As the eggplant slices are completed, place them on a layer of paper towels.

 

 

Prepare the Sauce and Assemble the Recipe

  1. Add ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet on medium-low heat. When the oil is hot, add the 2 smashed garlic cloves to the oil.  Allow them to cook for about 30 seconds and turn off the heat.  When the garlic cloves become golden, remove the garlic with a fork and discard.  Add 10-15 fresh basil leaves, followed by 1 box of Pomì chopped tomatoes (750 grams). Turn on the heat to medium-low and allow to cook slowly.
  2. Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil and heat the oven to 350°F.
  3. When the pasta water comes to a boil, add the box of penne along with a generous amount of salt. Cook the penne until about 2-3 minutes before the suggested cooking time, then drain it in a colander.  Rinse it with cold water for a few seconds.
  4. Pour the penne into a large mixing bowl and mix it with about 2/3 of the prepared pasta sauce (the rest of the pasta sauce is reserved for Step 7). Gently mix in the ½ cup of grated Pecorino Romano.

    Penne alla Norma preparation.

    Penne alla Norma is best when only small amounts of tomato sauce are used for each slice of grilled eggplant.

  5. Brush the inside of an 11 x 9 baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of breadcrumbs, then add a layer of the grilled eggplant to cover the breadcrumbs. Spoon about a tablespoon of prepared sauce over each eggplant slice (do not use too much sauce) and add some basil -see photo.
  6. Add ½ of the mixed pasta/sauce/Pecorino Romano, then add another layer of the grilled eggplant slices. Using a large spoon, smooth a little bit of tomato sauce over the eggplant—do not not exaggerate the amount of sauce, it should be just a thin layer.
  7. Add the second half of the mixed pasta/sauce/Pecorino Romano and two large spoons of tomato sauce. Cover with a layer of grilled eggplant slices.  Cover with a thick layer of breadcrumbs and a thin layer of the remaining tomato sauce.
  8. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, uncovered.
  9. Remove from the over and slice the ricotta salata all over it. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over it, Enjoy.
  10. Buon appetito!

Italiano

La pasta Norma.  Ne ho provate tante, con melanzane a tocchetti, e via dicendo, fatela come dico io a saranno tutti contenti. Per 6-8 persone.

Ingredienti

  • 6 melanzane
  • 1acco e mezzo di penne (750 grammi)
  • un barattolo di pomodori pelati a pezzetti, tipo Pomì
  • Pecorino grattugiato circa 200 grammi
  • Tanto basilico
  • Un bel pezzo di ricotta salata
  • Aglio e olio

Preparazione

  1. Tagliate a fette longitudinali le melanzane, circa 0.5-1 cm centimetro di spessore. Salatele, mettete un peso di sopra e dopo circa 40 minuti sciacquatele e asciugatele.
  2. Spennellatele con un po’ d’olio e mettetele su una griglia caldissima che fuma, circa un minuto per lato. Prima di girarle spennellate il lato che andrà sulla griglia. Poi mettetele su caro assorbente.
  3. Soffriggete 2 spicchi d’aglio nell’olio con qualche foglia di basilico, togliete l’aglio aggiungete il pomodoro un po’ di sale, altro po’ di basilico e fate cucinare a fuoco medio.
  4. Accendete il forno a 350 F cioè (circa 175 C) e allo stesso tempo mettete l’acqua a bollire.
  5. Calate la pasta quando l’acqua bolle e scolatela 2-3 minuti prima del tempo di cottura raccomandato, raffreddatela un po’ sotto l’acqua, poi mettetela in una zuppiera e aggiungete 2 mestoli di sugo di pomodoro, il pecorino grattugiato e mischiate bene.
  6. Spalmate con un pennello il fondo della pentola da forno con olio, poi coprite con uno strato sottile di pane grattugiato poi coprite con un primo strato di melanzane, aggiungete un piccolo cucchiaio di pomodoro circa su ogni melanzana, un pugno di basilico che si distribuirà sul tutto e coprite con metà della pasta a aggiungete un mestolo di sugo di pomodoro distribuendolo in superfice. Ripetete l’operazione, melanzane, pomodoro, basilico, pasta, pomodoro. Poi mettete il terzo e ultimo strato di melanzane, coprite con un sottile strato di pan grattato, un cucchiaio di pomodoro spalmato su le fette di melanzana e infornate per circa 30 – 40 minuti.
  7. Togliete dal forno. Con un tagliastruzze da formaggio le affettate la ricotta salata, a coprire il tutto con un sottile strato di ricotta. Un filo d’olio, e buon appetito.
Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parmigiana (for 4 – 6 people)

By

On April 28, 2021

In Entrees

I rarely see this wonderful Southern Italian dish on menus in Italian restaurants in the US.  But the Parmigiana is one of those “comfort foods” that every Italian knows and loves.  I remember coming back home to Calabria from the US one evening after many travel delays.  I didn’t get home until after midnight, and everyone was asleep.  But my mother had left a Parmigiana covered on the table. It was still warm, and I cut a slice of it and poured myself a glass of wine.  My mother came out of her room as I started on my second serving of the Parmigiana, and we talked until very early in the morning.

I’ll never forget how wonderful that Parmigiana was. It tasted like home.  A combination of simple flavors that somehow create a complex feeling of warmth and comfort.

If you’ve never had the Parmigiana, I hope this recipe inspires you to add it to your list of favorite recipes.

A general overview – the Parmigiana is sort of like a lasagna, except that the pasta is substituted with grilled slices of eggplant.   This recipe requires that you first prepare and grill the eggplant slices: once that work’s done, it’s very easy and fast to assemble the final product.

Ingredients

  • Coarse salt
  • 2 cups of my simple Italian tomato sauce
  • 4 large eggplants (make sure that they are dark purple and unbruised)
  • 2 containers of mozzarella cheese (do not use the American version of mozzarella—purchase one that is labelled “Mozzarella from Italy”)
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
  • 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
  • Lots of basil
  • Basic tomato sauce

Preparation

  1. Slice the eggplants lengthwise into long, ¼ inch slices. Because eggplant can sometimes have a slightly bitter, flavor, I like to to salt it so that it sweats out some of the bitterness –some people disagree as they like the bitter flavor, I DO NOT.
  2. Pour a layer of salt over the eggplant slices, then lay them on top of one another in a large pot. Once you have salted and layered all the eggplant, put another heavy pot on top of the preparation.
  3. After 20 minutes, remove the eggplant slices and place them in a colander. Rinse the salt very well, and then put the slices on paper towels so that the extra moisture is absorbed.
  4. Because of the salt that is absorbed in the eggplant (even after rinsing), you will want to be careful of adding any more salt in the preparation of this recipe.
  5. Place a cast-iron skillet or a grill and turn the heat to very high. As the skillet/grill gets hot, prepare the eggplant slices by using a kitchen brush to apply a thin layer of olive oil to each side.  Place them on the hot skillet/grill and cook them until they are slightly scorched on each side.
  6. When the eggplant slices are ready, remove from the grill with tongs and place them in a single layer on a paper towel, which will absorb any excess olive oil. Add another layer of paper towels to keep the slices separated.
  7. Once you’ve grilled all the eggplant slices, you are ready to assemble it in the baking pan.
  8. The assembly of the eggplant parmigiana is similar to that of lasagna: You create layers of the eggplant slices, topped with chopped mozzarella and tomato sauce in a rectangular baking dish (9 x 13 inches).
    1. Put a small amount of olive oil on the bottom of the dish before adding the first layer of eggplant slices. Make sure the slices overlap slightly as you layer the bottom of the baking dish.

      Eggplant Parmigiana

      Layers of grilled eggplant with mozzarella, tomato sauce, and a sprinkle of freshly-grated Parmigiano

    2. Spoon the basic tomato sauce in a thin layer on top of the layered slices.
    3. Add sliced boiled eggs
    4. Sprinkle chopped mozzarella over the tomato sauce add basil leafs.
    5. Sprinkle a small amount of grated Parmigiano over the layer.
    6. Add the next layer of eggplant slices, topping with the tomato sauce, basil, the mozzarella and grated Parmigiano.
    7. Create at least 3 layers. The topmost layer should be topped with the tomato sauce, grated Parmigiano, and mozzarella cheese.
  9. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven at 375 F for 30 minutes.
  10. Enjoy

Comments.  My parmigiano is a very simple parmigiano, many in Italy like to add salame, caciocavallo cheese, etc.  I like it this way, with lots of basil.  The trick for a good parmigiana is to not exaggerate with tomato sauce; just a little bit, the parmigiana should not be swimming in tomato sauce!

Italiano: La “famosa” parmigiana

A me la parmigiana piace semplice, senza salame, senza caciocavallo, solo con mozzarella, molto meglio se di bufala, Parmigiano e un sugo di pomodoro semplice e tanto basilico.

Ingredienti

  • Sale grosso
  • 1/2 litro della mia semplice salsa di pomodoro italiana
  • 4 melanzane grandi (assicurati che siano viola scuro e non ammaccate)
  • 2 contenitori di mozzarella (non utilizzare la versione americana della mozzarella, acquistane uno con l’etichetta “Mozzarella from Italy”)
  • 120 ml di olio extravergine di oliva, diviso
  • 226 grammi di parmigiano grattugiato fresco
  • 3 uova sode, affettate (facoltativo)
  • Molto basilico
  • Salsa di pomodoro simplice, vedere la mia ricetta

Preparazione

  1. Le melanzane devono essere soffritte su una gratella arroventata; nel forno senz’olio vengono una schifezza, ma per carità, poco, quando le soffriggete pochissimo, olio, perciò uso un pennello per passarglielo sopra.
  2. Le melanzane vanno tagliate per lungo dello spessore di circa 5 cm.  Coprite ogni fetta con un po’ di sale, mettetele una sull’altra, un peso sopra, circa 2 kg, e lasciatele così per 20-30 minuti che caccino la loro acqua amara-c’è chi le preferisce amare, non io di sicuro, e in quel caso potete risparmiarvi questo passaggio, poi sciacquatele bene e asciugatele.
  3. Poi soffriggetele, come indicato sopra con pochissimo olio su una gratella arroventata –alcuni cuochi, pure famosi, suggeriscono di cuocerle in una pentola antiaderente, non in una graticola, senza olio –a questa gente la patente di cuoco andrebbe tolta!
  4. Poi dopo avere soffritte in graticola le asciugate con carta assorbente e le mettete in una teglia da forno su cui avrete spalmato poco, pochissimo olio e poco sugo di pomodoro.
  5. Per il sugo di pomodoro, usate un sugo semplice, tipo quello indicato di sopra. L’importante è metterne poco, cioè le melanzane non devono nuotare nel sugo.
  6. Poi mettete su ogni strato di melanzane, basilico fresco, tanto; sugo di pomodoro, poco; un po di mozzarella di bufala, diciamo una fetta per fetta di melanzana; e un po’ di rondelle di uovo sodo, e poco Parmigiano.
  7. Continuate cosi è avrete riempito la teglia e siete arrivati fino all’orlo.
  8. Coprite l’ultimo strato con più Parmigiano.  Poi coprite con carta alumino e mettere nel forno a 375 F. (190 C). Fate andare cosi 20 minuti poi togliete la carta stagnola e rimettete in forno per altri 10 minuti.
  9. Buon appetito!

Fate la parmigiana come dico io e vedrete come è buona: la mia parmigiana è un piatto leggero per chi vuole stare in forma.

 

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