One of the things you need to understand when you come to Italy, is that you have to forget everything you think you knew about pasta. The rest of the world is wrong about the way to cook pasta and prepare sauces. For heaven’s sake, even the commercial pasta sauces sold in jars in supermarkets is completely different from what the rest of the world is used to; the difference is so big that I think it is safe to say that American pasta is a completely diverse food group than Italian pasta. (Don’t get me wrong, I love them both, and even living in Italy I will not hesitate to eat a plate of boxed macaroni and cheese. On the other hand, I could probably get kicked out of the country for doing that.)
Hence, once you forget your paradigmas about pasta, you can begin to understand, learn and embrace new ways of eating this versatile dish; the possibilities are endless as endless is the list of ingredients. Don´t be afraid of using ingredients that are not so common in pasta for Americans and Latinos, like nuts, saffron, weird cheeses, potatoes or bread (yes, bread).
Now, let me share with you a very simple and not so crazy pasta recipe that you can modify to your own taste, and you can use to change a bit your normal rotation of pasta sauces.
For this recipe I used:
1 medium eggplant
½ onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt, pepper, oregano and rosemary to taste
1 cup of tomato passata (unseasoned tomato puree) feel free to substitute with pureed fresh tomatoes, or chopped tomatoes, or regular tomato sauce
A handful of black and green olives, chopped
3 tablespoons of stracchino cheese (tangy creamy cheese made from cow’s milk, typical from the Lombardia region where my husband is from. Again, use whatever creamy cheese you have on hand)
Olive oil
Begin by preparing the eggplant. If you have time, roast the eggplant in the oven for 30 minutes. If you are like me that I am cooking for 2 people and refuse to turn on the oven for just one eggplant, then do this: cut the eggplant in half, pinch it all around with a fork, put in a microwave safe plate and cook in the microwave for 6 minutes.
While the eggplant is in the microwave, cook your onion and garlic in olive oil until transparent and fragrant. Add the dry spices. Change the spices if you want, basil will work well too. Take the eggplant out of the microwave, it should be soft now. Put the eggplant in the food processor and pulse for a few seconds to make a chunky eggplant puree.
Add the pureed eggplant to the pan with the onions and garlic, then add the tomato passata and olives.
Cook for a couple of minutes over low heat, it should have the consistency of a thick paste and look kind of like this:
Now, at this point you should have your pasta cooked and ready to add to the sauce. I used this time 200gr of penne rigate pasta. Add the cheese to the sauce and then the hot pasta, mix and cook on the pan for a few seconds to completely cover the pasta with the sauce and let it absorb some of the flavor. If it is too dry, add some pasta water. Finish with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Just a note on this sauce, the consistency makes it perfect to use as a spread for bruschetta or crostini. Put in in a sandwich with meatballs. Use as a condiment on a roasted lamb chop. Like I said, endless possibilities!
Buon appetito!
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