Eggplant favourites, rooted in Sicily
Sicilian cuisine today is varied, but a recurring theme in daily cooking is the use of a few common ingredients: olive oil, eggplant, tomato and pasta, usually with a pinch of peperoncino, crushed hot red pepper.
These dishes taste best with spanking-fresh eggplant.
Classic Pasta alla Norma MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
Extra-virgin olive oil 1 small onion, diced Salt and pepper 2 garlic cloves, peeled Pinch of crushed red pepper 12 basil leaves, plus a few basil sprigs for garnish 4 cups peeled, chopped tomatoes with juice, fresh or canned 3 or 4 small eggplants (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 pound pasta, such as penne, rigatoncini or spaghetti 1 cup coarsely grated ricotta salata ¼ cup toasted bread crumbs, preferably homemade
Time: 30 minutes 1: Make a quick tomato sauce: Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.
2: Stir in garlic, red pepper and basil leaves and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer gently for 20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside. (Sauce may be prepared up to two days in advance.)
3: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Turn heat to low and cover pot until it’s time to cook the pasta.
4: Put a wide cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add 4 tablespoons olive oil to coat surface of pan. When oil is wavy, test by adding a cube of eggplant. It should begin to sizzle and brown immediately. Fill the pan with a single layer of eggplant cubes. Turn eggplant with a spatula or tongs and brown nicely on all sides. Lower heat as necessary to maintain an even temperature; if the pan is too hot, the eggplant will burn.
5: Remove cooked eggplant to a plate and continue to fry remaining eggplant in batches, adding more oil as necessary. Season finished eggplant with salt and pepper. (Alternatively, roast the eggplant on a baking sheet at 400 F, lightly drizzled with oil, until cooked and nicely browned, about 20 minutes.)
6: To assemble and serve, boil pasta until al dente, leaving it a little firmer than normal. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer. Add eggplant to sauce and gently stir to combine. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water, then drain pasta and add to sauce. Using two wooden spoons or tongs, toss pasta and sauce, and let cook one minute more. Thin sauce if necessary with a little pasta cooking water.
7: Transfer to a warmed wide pasta bowl. Sprinkle with grated ricotta salata and bread crumbs. Garnish with torn or whole basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.
Eggplant Caponata MAKES 6 OR MORE SERVINGS
Extra-virgin olive oil 3 or 4 small eggplants (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes Salt and pepper 1 onion, chopped 4 small celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup), blanched for 1 minute in boiling salted water, then cooled 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tbsp capers, rinsed 1 cup good-quality green olives, pitted Pinch of crushed red pepper 1 bay leaf 3 tbsp granulated sugar ¼ cup red wine vinegar ½ cup dry white wine 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour to mellow 1: Put a wide cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add 4 tablespoons olive oil to coat surface of pan. When oil is wavy, test by adding a cube of eggplant. It should begin to sizzle and brown immediately. Fill the pan with a single layer of eggplant cubes. Turn eggplant with a spatula or tongs and brown nicely on all sides. Lower heat as necessary to maintain an even temperature; if the pan is too hot, the eggplant will burn.
2: Remove cooked eggplant to a plate and continue to fry remaining eggplant in batches, adding more oil as necessary. Season finished eggplant with salt and pepper. (Alternatively, roast the eggplant on a baking sheet at 400 F, lightly drizzled with oil, until cooked and nicely browned, about 20 minutes.)
3: Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, season lightly with salt and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly coloured, about five minutes. Stir in blanched celery, tomato paste, capers and olives. Add crushed red pepper, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar and wine. Simmer another five minutes.
4: Gently fold in cooked eggplant and simmer two or three minutes more. Taste cooking juices and adjust salt if necessary. Let mellow for one hour at room temperature (or make it a day in advance for fuller flavour). Sprinkle with parsley to serve. The caponata will keep for a week, refrigerated.
Baked Eggplant with Ricotta, Mozzarella and Anchovy MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
Extra-virgin olive oil 3 or 4 small eggplants (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into ½-inch slices Salt and pepper Pinch of crushed red pepper 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 12 ounces fresh ricotta ½ pound smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced (or use fresh mozzarella) 2 cups provolone cheese, coarsely grated (about ½ pound) ½ cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese (about 2 ounces) ½ cup finely grated pecorino cheese (about 2 ounces) 12 anchovy fillets ¼ cup toasted bread crumbs, preferably homemade 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Sicilian
Time: 2 hours 1: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Season eggplant slices on both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange half the eggplant slices in one layer on bottom of dish, overlapping slices slightly. Drizzle or paint eggplant generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper to taste and scatter onion slices evenly over surface.
2: With a small spoon, distribute the ricotta in little blobs evenly over surface, then arrange half the smoked mozzarella over the ricotta. Sprinkle with 1 cup grated provolone.
3: Make another layer of overlapping slices with remaining seasoned eggplant. Drizzle or paint eggplant generously with olive oil. Top surface evenly with remaining smoked mozzarella and provolone, then sprinkle with Parmesan and pecorino. Arrange anchovy fillets over top and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
4: Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until eggplant is quite tender when pierced with a fork and top is crisp and golden. (If top seems to be browning too quickly, tent with foil and reduce heat to 350 F.) Remove from oven, dust with oregano and let rest at least 20 minutes before cutting into squares. The dish is best served at room temperature, not piping hot.