A classic Sicilian pasta dish not just for vegetarians, with the main ingredient being the aubergines. My version is slightly twisted as I have added red peppers, pine nuts and olives, as well as replaced the ricotta cheese with the Cypriot Anari cheese.
I chose to use the already made tomato pasta sauce, but you can always replace it with a can of plum tomatoes and increase just a bit the seasoning.
Have a look below at the full recipe and don’t forget that you can always print it.
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Penne alla Norma
Servings: 5 People
Ingredients
- 500 g Penne Pasta
- 2 Medium Aubergines cut into 1-2cm cubes
- 2 Medium Long Horn Peppers thinly sliced
- 1 Red Onion finely chopped
- 1 clove Garlic finely minced
- 1 tsp Chilli Flakes
- 15 Black Olives pitted and sliced
- 1 tbsp Capers roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp Pine Nuts roasted
- 1 tbs Tomato Paste
- 400 g Tomato Pasta Sauce Press here for recipe
- 70 ml EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 50 g dry Anari Cheese grated
- 5 litres of Water well salted
- 1 tsp fine Sea Salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot bring water to a boil on high heat adding a generous amount of salt. Add the pasta, stirring occasionally so as not to stick and cook according to suggested time on the box of the pasta less 2 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of cooking water.
- In the meantime, in a large and deep sauté pan over low-medium heat pour 50ml of the oil and wait to heat-up. Add the aubergines and cook for about 5’ tossing regularly and until the aubergines are charred. Remove from the pan into a bowl.
- In the same pan pour the remaining 20ml of the oil, allow to heat up and add the onions. Sauté for 4-5’ on low heat until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and the chili flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 30’’. Add the paste and stir well for a minute or so.
- Add the tomato pasta sauce along with the cooked aubergines along with 300ml of warm water, close the lid, reduce the heat to the minimum and simmer for 20’ while stirring occasionally. Half-way through, add the long horn peppers, the olives and capers, season with the salt and pepper and continue simmering.
- Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce, add the pine nuts and toss for the pasta to absorb as much as possible of the sauce for about 1’. If too thick add some water. Finally, sprinkle with the Anari cheese.
