Bruschetta with tomato and aubergines
-8 Slices of bread
–
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
-250 gr aubergines, sliced to 1 cm thick and grilled
-olive oil to light fry
-Salt to taste
-250 gr
cow mozzarella
or
buffalo mozzarella
-400 gr sliced fresh tomatoes
-40 gr
Parmesan cheese
-basil leaves
-oregano to taste
How to prepare
-Toast the slices of bread with a little oil in a frying pan. While you wait for the bread to be golden and crispy, cut the tomato into slices (about 1 cm thick).
-Take a slice of bread, put a lightly salted slice of tomato, the
mozzarella
, and top it with the grilled aubergines. Sprinkle a bit of
Parmesan
cheese on top.
-Place the bruschetta in the oven with grill function and wait for the
mozzarella
to melt. It will take about 10 minutes.
-Remove from the oven and serve, perhaps adding a drizzle of
extra virgin olive oil
and a pinch of oregano or basil.
———–
Parmigiana di melanzane
Ingredients (serves 4): – Use a baking dish approx 20x15cm
-3 aubergines
-100g plain flour
-olive oil to fry
-350g cow mozzarella
, sliced
-150g grated Parmesan
-1 large handfuls of chopped basil
-2tsp dried oregano
-Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
-3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the tomato sauce:
-800g Italian tomato passata
-2 finely chopped garlic cloves
-2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-Salt to taste
How to prepare
Cut the aubergines into slices. about 1 cm thick, sprinkle them with salt and leave on one side for half an hour. After this time, wash and dry the slices with some kitchen paper.
Coat them in the flour and fry them in a deep pan with olive oil on a medium heat until golden.
Rest them in kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Set aside.
In a separate pan, fry the garlic in olive oil for 2min. Add the
tomato passata
and simmer very gently. Adjust salt to your taste.
In your baking dish, pour in a layer of tomato sauce, sprinkle a little oregano and plenty of shredded basil leaves, black pepper and sea salt. Then add a layer of aubergines.
Cover the aubergines with a layer of
mozzarella
, spoon a little tomato sauce on the cheese and sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan.
Repeat the process until it’s finished and you end up with a layer of tomato, the mozzarella and
Parmesan
. Sprinkle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Place in oven and bake for 40min.
Serve once cooled down a little.
———–
Pasta alla norma
Ingredients for 4 people:
-2 medium aubergines, cut into medium dice
-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
-1 medium onion, diced
-400g tomato passata
-1 tsp dried chile flakes
-4 sprigs fresh basil (reserve some for garnish)
-1 sprig fresh thyme
-4 garlic cloves, sliced
-salt and ground pepper to taste
-250 g. ricotta salata coarsely grated – reserve some for garnish
-500 g. rigatoni or other large-tubed pasta
How to prepare
-In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil until it’s hot.
-Turn the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic and cook the mixture until it’s soft but not browned.
-Add the chile flakes. Add the aubergines – and watch as they absorbs all the oil. Let it get soft and lightly browned while you stir it regularly for 8 to 10 minutes.
-Add the tomato passata and the basil and thyme sprigs and bring the sauce to a boil. Simmer it for 15 minutes, uncovered, and season it with salt and pepper.
-Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Add 2 Tbsp of coarse salt. Cook the pasta until it’s “al dente”.
-Drain it thoroughly and pour the hot pasta into the pan with the sauce. Add the ricotta salata and heat it through.
-Stir the pasta well and scoop it into warm pasta bowls. Sprinkle it with a little more ricotta salata and basil and serve it hot.
-Drizzle a little more olive oil over it for good measure.
