This classic recipe from Sicily is a much beloved one. It’s a super-rich tomato sauce, thanks to the deliciously fried aubergines and the intense, fresh flavor from the cheese. This version is baked in the oven to give it a nice, crunchy final touch. Having only two ingredients, it’s super easy to make!
The aubergines: make sure they are in season and hard, otherwise they might lack flavor (off-season) or be a bit bitter (soft). I use everything from the aubergines apart from the ‘green cap’, meaning minimum waste! 😉
The cheese: traditionally you would use ricotta salata, made from sheep milk. Pecorino is a decent alternative, much easier to find. It definitely has a more pungent flavor so don’t go wild – but if you can put your hands on actual fresh ricotta salata, do go wild (like, double the amounts).
The tomato sauce: for a quick fix, meaning to not cook the tomato sauce from scratch, I use the Mutti sauce jars (the one with Parmigiano is great) which are much tastier than the generic can/bottle of tomatoes. I just need to add some salt and pepper and it’s done!
The pasta shape: because it’s a bake, you want to choose a short pasta. Definitely avoid spaghetti & co. Because of the diced aubergines, I prefer to choose pastas that can help collecting/can retain the sauce while you eat. My choice is usually conchiglioni, orecchiette, penne or rigatoni.
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