Pasta Garofalo - Penne alla norma

Penne alla norma

A traditional recipe, packed full of rich Italian flavours. Prepping ahead will make this dish simpler to prepare when cooking.
Credits: Davide De Simone

Preparation Time

1 hour

Portions

4

Difficulty

medium

Ingredients

  • 400g Garofalo Penne

  • 2x 400g Garofalo chopped Italian tomatoes

  • 300g datterini tomatoes, halved

  • 200g dried ricotta salata cheese

  • Half an onion

  • 1 clove of garlic, finely sliced

  • 1 bunch of basil, half finely chopped, half left whole

  • 3 aubergines

  • Extra virgin olive oil

  • Vegetable oil for frying

  • 1 tsp sugar

  • Salt & pepper

Product used

Preparation

  • 1

    - Slice the aubergines very thin, add a little salt to every slice and set aside for an hour. The addition of salt to the aubergine will drain out the water, which can give it a bitter taste.

  • 2

    - Once an hour is up, wash the salt away and dry the aubergine.

  • 3

    - Heat up the frying oil and deep fry the aubergine slices until golden. Place on kitchen towel to absorb any extra oil, and sprinkle over the chopped basil.

  • 4

    - In a pan, place the onion, garlic and olive oil and sauté until golden.

  • 5

    - Add the chopped tomatoes and datterini tomatoes to the pan and gently cook for around 45 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and a little sugar.

  • 6

    - Once your sauce is ready, take off the heat, add the whole basil leaves and allow to cool.

  • 7

    - Once cool, blend together with a splash of olive oil to create a smooth tomato sauce.

  • 8

    - Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Once boiling, add a dash of salt and cook the Garofalo penne for about 8 minutes, until al dente.

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