The timbale of pasta alla Norma is a delicious first course of baked pasta that proposes, in a revisited format, the famous recipe from Catania. We count it among the first, but we can also consider it single dish: in any case, bringing it to the table guarantees sure success.
Ingrediants
- 380 g of rigatoni
- 3 large eggplants
- 500 g of tomato puree
- ½ red onion
- 30 g of grated Parmesan cheese
- 200 g of diced provolone
- ricotta salata
- bread crumbs
- fresh basil
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- peanut oil
The recipe of the timbale of pasta alla Norma proposes a great classic of Sicilian cuisine in a different and original way.
The fried aubergines the protagonists of the dish are there and become the soft casket that reveals the rigatoni al sugo, enriched in this version of provolone and parmesan. A simple first course in the combinations of flavors and decidedly greedy, one pasta flan which does not involve long times and complex procedures, with guaranteed success.
The recipes of Baked Pasta with eggplant they are among the most delicious dishes that can be made with these extraordinary ones summer vegetables: Eggplant stuffed with pasta or Eggplant roll stuffed with eggplant, ham and smoked cheese are two irresistible examples.
If you are looking for other creative dishes with aubergines, also try the aubergine strudel and aubergine cannelloni with sausage ragu.
OTHER TASTY RECIPES: Penne and eggplant flan, Sicilian pasta
How to prepare: Norma-style pasta timbale
- Execution
- average
- Preparation time
- 25 min
- Cooking time
-
40 min – 45 min
- Portions
-
4 – 6
How to prepare: Norma-style pasta timbale
To make the pasta alla Norma timbale, start washing and drying the aubergines: remove the stalk and slice them lengthwise to a thickness of about ½ cm. Arrange them in layers in a colander sprinkling them gradually with salt, then let them drain for an hour. Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the onion and brown it in a saucepan with a drizzle of oil. Add the puree, bring it to a boil and cook over low heat for about ten minutes. Salt, add a few basil leaves and turn off.
Dry the aubergine slices by dabbing them gently with absorbent paper. Then fry them in plenty of peanut oil at 170 °, dipping a couple at a time, without letting the temperature drop. When they are ready, drain them on the special paper so that they lose excess grease. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water keeping it al dente, drain and transfer it to a clean bowl. Add the tomato sauce deprived of the basil leaves and mix. Also add the grated Parmesan, mix everything and set aside.
Line a non-stick loaf pan, about 10 x 26 cm, with the fried aubergine slices arranged side by side and overlapping so as not to leave holes. Then make a layer of rigatoni placing them side by side.
Spread the provolone cubes over the pasta and make another layer of rigatoni. Proceed in the same way until you run out of ingredients and finish with the pasta. Compact with the back of a spoon, sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Complete with a drizzle of oil.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 ° C for about twenty minutes or in any case until the surface of the timbale appears golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool for about ten minutes. Using a thin-bladed knife, remove the edges of the timbale from the mold, then turn it out onto a serving plate of adequate size.
Sprinkle the surface of the pasta alla Norma timbale with salted ricotta flakes, obtained with a grater with large holes, and serve.
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