Sicilian baked pasta

To prepare the Sicilian baked pasta, start with the sauce: pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil into a saucepan, add a crushed clove of garlic and let it infuse for a few minutes over low heat. When the garlic is golden, add the tomato passata 1, season with salt and pepper, flavor with a few fresh basil leaves 2 and stir 3.

Cover with a lid 4 and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. At the end of cooking remove the garlic and set the sauce aside. Meanwhile, take care of the eggplants: wash them, remove the ends 5 and cut them first into slices and then into cubes about 5/8 in (1.5 cm) 6. 

Heat plenty of peanut oil in a large skillet and, when it reaches 338°F (170°C), fry the eggplants a few at a time so as not to lower the oil temperature too much 7. Let them brown evenly, then drain them with a slotted spoon 8 and transfer them to paper towels to remove excess oil 9. Lightly salt them.

While you fry the eggplants, put a pot of plenty of salted water on the heat. When it reaches a boil, add the rigatoni 10. While the pasta cooks, cut the smoked scamorza into cubes 11. Drain the rigatoni 2–3 minutes before the time indicated on the package and transfer them to a bowl. Toss them with almost all of the tomato sauce, then add about half of the fried eggplants 12.

Add also half of the cubed smoked scamorza 13 and a few basil leaves torn by hand 14. Mix well so the seasoning is evenly distributed 15. 

Spread the bottom of a baking dish with the reserved sauce (we used a about 10 5/8-inch (27 cm) dish) 16, then pour in the dressed pasta. Level it gently 17 and add the eggplants reserved earlier on top 18. 

Distribute the remaining scamorza on the surface 19 and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano Reggiano 20. Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 356°F (180°C) for about 20 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and browned. Remove from the oven 21 and let rest for a few minutes before serving your Sicilian baked pasta!