Travelling is a learning experience
Mar. 26th, 2008 10:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
webcowgirlRigatoni alla Norma
Alla Norma is tomatoes and aubergine/eggplant and cheese. The recommended cheese is ricotta, but it's a crumbly ricotta ("ricotta salata," salted ricotta) and one of the places I went to had a smoked cheese on top, so I did that for this version but also put wet ricotta on the bottom, underneath the tomato/garlic/onion/basil mixture. (After eating this three times in a week, I was really impressed by what a wide variety of recipes went by the same name.) The kicker seems to be soaking the sliced eggplant in salted water - I couldn't believe the way this changed the flavor! I also "dressed" the cooked tomato mixture with some really nice olive oil as recommended by my cookbook. So even though I'd never made this before and don't even like eggplant (normally), this dish was very tasty and a huge success. Not bad for a lazy night at home!
Alla Norma is tomatoes and aubergine/eggplant and cheese. The recommended cheese is ricotta, but it's a crumbly ricotta ("ricotta salata," salted ricotta) and one of the places I went to had a smoked cheese on top, so I did that for this version but also put wet ricotta on the bottom, underneath the tomato/garlic/onion/basil mixture. (After eating this three times in a week, I was really impressed by what a wide variety of recipes went by the same name.) The kicker seems to be soaking the sliced eggplant in salted water - I couldn't believe the way this changed the flavor! I also "dressed" the cooked tomato mixture with some really nice olive oil as recommended by my cookbook. So even though I'd never made this before and don't even like eggplant (normally), this dish was very tasty and a huge success. Not bad for a lazy night at home!
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Date: 2008-03-26 10:45 pm (UTC)How long did you have to soak them for?
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Date: 2008-03-26 11:01 pm (UTC)This is an easy and very tasty recipe - I highly recommend it!
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Date: 2008-03-26 10:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 11:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-27 08:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-27 08:51 am (UTC)i'd say even 20mins will do just fine, you put *lots* of salt and not so much water. did you lightly brown the eggplant in a pan with some olive oil before adding the tomato? always works great! also, a tiny pinch of sugar at the end makes a great difference.
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Date: 2008-03-27 09:29 am (UTC)