Pasta Alla Norma | Kitchen on the Cliff with Giovanna Bellia LaMarca

ricotta salata

🥗Healthier: feta cheese

💰Cheaper: parmesan cheese

Feta provides a similar salty flavor while being more accessible.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: canola oil

Canola oil is less expensive and has a neutral flavor.

Trim the eggplant and slice into half-inch rounds.

Sprinkle salt on the eggplant slices and cover with a cutting board and a heavy kettle to drain for an hour.

Chop onion and heat a quarter cup of olive oil in a pot until shimmering.

Add the chopped onion to the pot and lower the heat, cooking until it begins to color.

Add tomatoes and a quarter can of water to the pot, bringing it to a boil.

Rinse capers packed in salt and add to the sauce along with a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of allspice, half a teaspoon of nutmeg, a quarter teaspoon of cloves, half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and a tablespoon of sugar and fennel seeds.

Let the sauce cook for half an hour.

Rinse the drained eggplant in cool water and pat dry on paper towels.

Heat canola oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant slices without any coating until golden brown.

Boil water for pasta, adding salt once boiling, and cook pasta for nine minutes, adding one minute to absorb the sauce.

Plate the dish with the most beautiful eggplant slices on top of the pasta and finish with grated ricotta salata.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens