Chef Celestino Drago’s Rigatoni Alla Norma

Even though I grew up near the Napa Valley, I am not a real big fan of wine. I make my big sister cringe when I pull out the blackberry wine.  For whatever reason, my sister generously gave me a subscription to Wine Spectator. While I do not really get too interested in the art of wine making, I do enjoy reading it.

In the September 2013 Wine Spectator issue, they focused on the flavors of Italy. Chef Celestino Drago, of L.A.'s Drago Centro shared his Sicilian-inspired recipe for Rigatoni Alla Norma. This is an eggplant pasta dish. Since the eggplant is pureed, I thought it would be easy to sneak past the family…or so I thought.

My family dug into this dish when I made it. A few bites into eating my son asked what flavor he was tasting. I stated eggplant and he said he liked it, while the other two stated it was not favorite they did clean their plates.

Even though the written recipe seems a bit involved, it is very easy to make. I did not fry the eggplant skins as a garnish as the recipe calls for; in fact, I just omitted them all together. The recipe calls for heirloom cherry tomatoes. I could not find any heirloom variety, so I substituted a mix of yellow and red cherry tomatoes.

Ingredients

5 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, chopped

5 cups (1 ¾ pounds) heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 bunch fresh basil, destemmed, large leaves torn in half

1 teaspoon dried oregano

4 Japanese eggplants

Vegetable oil

3 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

1 pound small rigatoni

3 Tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 Tablespoons chopped mozzarella

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In large saucepan, combine 4 Tablespoons of olive oil and garlic, cook over medium heat until the garlic has turned golden

 Add tomatoes, basil and oregano, cook for 10 minutes, season with salt remove from heat, set aside

 

Preheat oven to 450°F

Peel the eggplants using vegetable peeler. Reserve the skin for later

 

Cut eggplants in half lengthwise and place on a sheet

Coat eggplant vegetable oil than season with thyme and salt

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until soft

Remove pan from oven and place eggplant and 1-Tablespoon olive oil in a blender, puree until smooth, reserve

 

Julienne the eggplant skins on the diagonal into pieces 2 inches long

In a large saucepan heat ¼ inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat

Fry the skins in the oil until crispy, remove and drain on a paper towel covered plate, reserve

In a large pot of salted water, boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions.

 

Strain and toss pasta with the tomato sauce and parmigiano-reggiano.

Divided into six bowls, top each bowl with chopped mozzarella, 1-Tablespoon eggplant puree and fried eggplant skins.

Garnish with chopped basil leaves (optional)

 

Have you ever dreamed of traveling to some of the most Ancient Civilizations in our world? There is a special young woman who dreams of seeing Rome, Sicily and Greece. Please click here to learn about her dream. If you cannot help her financially, please spread word of her campaign on Facebook and other social medias.