Modern Pasta alla Norma Recipe
A modern twist on the classic Pasta alla Norma, we’re mixing creamy puréed eggplant with fresh tomatoes, bits of salami and roasted shallots. It’ll impress anyone (including Grandma!).
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound egg noodles I like tagliatelle
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 3 small eggplants the smaller the eggplant, the smaller the seeds
- 4 large shallots skins removed and cut in half
- 10 slices spicy or regular salami julienned
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
- ¼ pound grated ricotta salata to garnish
- ¼ pound grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to garnish
- Fresh basil to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450℉. Form a bowl out of aluminum foil by pushing up the sides of three stacked pieces of aluminum foil up and around the sides of a water glass. Once formed, let the foil bowl stand on its own.
- Add shallots and ½ cup olive oil. Close the opening of your foil bowl by pushing together the sides and sealing the top. Set aside.
- Place eggplants on a baking sheet. Poke each eggplant with a fork 3-4 times to ensure eggplants don’t explode in the oven.
- Bake eggplants for 35 minutes, flipping halfway through. Eggplants should be shriveled and somewhat charred in appearance. Place the shallot foil bowl in the same oven for 45 minutes.
- Once done, slice eggplants open and scoop out the filling into a bowl.
- Use a potato masher to mash eggplant, adding minced garlic and a tablespoon of olive oil to flavor. Stir. Set eggplant purée aside.
- Boil egg noodles according to instructions.
- While pasta is boiling, add a tablespoon of olive oil and tomatoes to a large pot. Let tomatoes sauté over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until they just start to wrinkle.
- Turn heat to low and add eggplant purée, roasted shallots and the oil from the foil package, and salami.
- Drain pasta and add pasta to mixture. Toss gently until combined, adding a little olive oil if the pasta seems dry.
- Plate and garnish with ricotta salata, parmesan, and basil.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1041kcal | Carbohydrates: 110g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 1027mg | Potassium: 1413mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 771IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 485mg | Iron: 4mg