pasta alla norma – penne with grilled eggplant, salted ricotta & cabernet estate reserve® tomatoes
Author: Chef D. Brown
Prep time:
Total time:
Yields: 4 portions
Ingredients
- 1 bag Village Farms cabernet estate reserve® tomatoes
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup Onions
- 1 large Eggplant
- 1 tbsp Garlic
- 2 tbsp Capers
- ½ cup Fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tsp Peperoncino chili flakes
- ½ cup Salted ricotta (can substitute Pecorino)
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- 1 lb Penne pasta, cooked
Instructions
- Put on a pot of boiling salted water and cook pasta as you work through the prep work.
- Slice eggplant into 1" thick slices. Brush liberally with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and chilies.
- Preheat grill pan (could be substituted with bbq or heavy skillet).
- Once at high heat, grill/sear eggplant until you get char marks or good caramelization.
- Dice the grilled/seared eggplant into 1" cubes and reserve.
- Dice onions, and rough chop the parsley – reserve
- Mince capers and garlic to a fine dice – reserve.
- Preheat sauté pan to medium heat. Add ¼ cup olive oil.
- Sweat onions, capers, and garlic until translucent.
- Add the Cabernet tomatoes – sauté 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Transfer ½ of the tomatoes and onions to another bowl and purée with a hand blender – reserve.
- Add the eggplant and parsley to the pan – sauté on high heat for 2 minutes, then add tomato purée.
- Allow to simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.
- Toss with cooked pasta. Finish with salted ricotta and another ounce of olive oil.