Pasta with eggplant cream and salted ricotta

Name: Pasta with eggplant cream and salted ricotta
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Angelhair pasta 11.3 oz; Basil 12 leaves; Eggplant 0.9 lb; Garlic 2 cloves; Water ½ cup; Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp; Fine salt to taste; Datterino tomatoes 2 cups; Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp; Fine salt to taste; Salted ricotta cheese 1 cup; Fresh liquid cream 0.8 cup

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Serving: 4

PRESENTATION

Pasta with Eggplant Cream and Ricotta Salata reworks the logic of pasta alla Norma — Sicily's great classic of fried eggplant, tomato sauce, basil, and grated ricotta salata — element by element. The eggplant is baked, then blended into a soft cream that coats the pasta evenly. Pan-roasted datterini stand in for a cooked tomato sauce, adding color and sweetness without the weight. Fresh basil arrives last, pulling the plate back toward the same Sicilian register as the original.

The ricotta salata gets the most significant rethinking. Rather than being grated over the top, it is melted into a fonduta — smooth, pourable, and rich — that receives the capellini directly in the bowl. That change alone shifts the dish from rustic to refined, and the result holds up at an elegant summer dinner table without losing the familiarity that makes the classic worth returning to.

INGREDIENTS

Angelhair pasta 11.3 oz (320 g)

Basil 12 leaves

For the eggplant cream: Eggplant 0.9 lb (400 g); Garlic 2 cloves; Water ½ cup (100 g); Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp (20 g); Fine salt to taste

For the cherry tomatoes: Datterino tomatoes 2 cups (300 g); Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp (20 g); Fine salt to taste

For the salted ricotta fondue: Salted ricotta cheese 1 cup (250 g); Fresh liquid cream 0.8 cup (170 g)

Preparation

How to prepare Pasta with eggplant cream and salted ricotta

To prepare the pasta with eggplant cream and salted ricotta, start with the eggplant: cut it in half 1, then score the flesh in a crisscross pattern 2. Place the eggplant on a baking tray with the cut side facing up and season with a drizzle of olive oil 3.

Salt 4 and insert the garlic cloves into the cuts in the flesh 5. Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 446°F for about 30 minutes 6.

Meanwhile, prepare the cherry tomatoes: cut them in half 7 and add them to a pan with a drizzle of hot oil 8. Cook over high heat for about 5 minutes, seasoning to taste 9.

Once roasted, set the cherry tomatoes aside 10. Move on to the fondue: grate the salted ricotta using a coarse grater 11. In a small saucepan pour the heavy cream and the grated salted ricotta 12.

Warm over low heat, whisking continuously with a whisk 13 until you obtain a creamy consistency 14. If desired, you can blend it with an immersion blender to make it smoother 15.

By now the eggplants will be cooked: remove from the oven and scoop out the flesh 16. Transfer the flesh to a mixing jug, then add the olive oil 17 and the water 18.

Blend with an immersion blender 19 to obtain a smooth sauce 20. If necessary, adjust the salt. Transfer the cream obtained to the pan in which you roasted the cherry tomatoes 21.

Meanwhile, cook the capellini (angel hair) in boiling salted water 22. Drain them a couple of minutes before the time indicated on the package and transfer them to the pan with the sauce 23. Finish cooking the pasta, adding a ladle of its cooking water as needed 34.