The following recipe, created by Chef Nick Stellino, appears on NickStellino.com.
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra light olive oil
- 2 medium eggplants, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons Romano cheese, grated
- 1 pound pasta, rigatoni or penne
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
- 1/2 white onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
- 1-1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 6 ounces Scamorza (smoked mozzarella cheese cut into 1/2-inch cubes or 4 tablespoons grated ricotta salata. Dry salted ricotta cheese)
- 4 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
Directions
1, Add the extra light olive oil to a large sauce pan and cook over high heat until it starts to bubble, then reduce heat to medium high.
2. Deep Fry the eggplant pieces about two to three minutes, or until they start to brown. Using a large slotted spoon or a skimmer, take them out of the pan and place into a bowl.
3. While the eggplant pieces are still hot, add the fresh mint and the grated cheese. Stir well and set aside until you are ready to add them to the sauce.
4. Bring a pot of water to boil. Then add the pasta and cook two minutes less than the directions given on the package. (We will finish cooking the pasta in the sauce)
5. In a large Sautee pan, add the olive oil and cook over medium heat until hot.
6. Add the red pepper flakes cook two minutes while stirring then add the garlic and cook for one minute.
7. Add the onion, stir well and add the white wine. Stir together and cook for two to three minutes.
8. Now add the tomato sauce and the stock. Increase the heat to medium high.
9. Bring to a boil then simmer for eight to ten minutes.
10. Add most of the eggplant to the simmering sauce, saving some pieces for topping the finished pasta dish.
11. Add the drained pasta and finish cooking into the sauce for two to three minutes.
12. Lastly turn off the heat and add the cheese. Stir well until most of the cheese has melted. Serve in individual pasta bowls, top with the reserved fried eggplant pieces and some grated Romano cheese.
Chef’s Tip: If you are using ricotta salata instead of scamorza, just add more grated ricotta salata instead of the Romano cheese.
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