Eggplant - Pasta Alla Norma

My Mother brought over a bunch of little organic eggplants and I was excited to cook with them. I have to admit (rather sheepishly) that I actually am not that crazy about eggplant. The reason I'm a little embarrassed to admit this is because I feel like eggplant is one of those things that all girls like. AND unfortunately, I do not. Same goes for artichoke. Everyone oohs and ahhs about artichoke, but not this gal. I sorta also feel this way about dark chocolate (gasp!). Nevertheless, I wanted to experiment and make something that I would begin to like. I asked Joanne, my favorite food blogger, for eggplant suggestions and she quickly replied that this pasta dish was one of her favorites. It sounded amazing and it did not disappoint. This dish will become a regular in my home for sure!

 Pasta Alla Norma
(by Joanne from Week of Menus)
Ingredients
2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 medium onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or use 24 to 26 ounce bottled sauce)
1 pound dried rigatoni or penne pasta
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions
Toss eggplant with 2 teaspoon salt in a colander. Drain 30 minutes. Rinse, then squeeze out excess liquid and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry eggplant in 3 batches, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Spinkle and toss warm eggplant with dried oregano.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons oil from skillet, then sauté onion with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in sauce and eggplant and simmer 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook rigatoni in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quart water) until al dente, then drain. (basically cook pasta for 1 minute less than you would normally in order that it doesn't turn into total mush during baking.)

Stir together pasta, sauce, and half of mozzarella in pot.

Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and golden in spots, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

**I wish I used more mozzarella or maybe even burrata next time!