It’s been a long time since I posted a real recipe. My travels to San Francisco put my cooking on hold, but I’m back in the kitchen with another delicious Marcella Hazan recipe that is more in keeping with my grandfather, Biaggio’s side of the family than anything from northern Italy.
This is quintessentially “sicilian.” They (we) love our eggplant. My grandfather, Biaggio, was born in Isnello (a commune outside of Palermo), and I had the pleasure to eat two eggplant dishes prepared by his my family there a few years ago.
Isnello and a Word About the Mafia
I thought it a bit enthusiastic that the eggplant was prepared two ways, and, truthfully, I haven’t been able to repeat it quite in the same delicious fashion. The village of Isnello is way way up there, with an elevation only second to Mount Etna. The infrastructure has hardly been touched in centuries except for the remodeling of kitchens and bathrooms. But, laundry is still hung outside up on the forth floor of narrow, yet pristine homes that often have two kitchens. My family owns a second bed and breakfast home on the mountainside, just across the town. The views are spectacular, breathtaking and not like any I’ve witnessed here in the states. The setting is a bit surreal, because the town is small and remote, with it’s own cheese shop, butcher and baker, and feels a bit isolated and insulated. Yet is a mere 30 minute drive to the beach and Palermo. The drive is awesome and this is a the first time I’ve used that word “awesome” correctly.
So untouched for generations, yet there are cell phones and satellite dishes, but I doubt there are microwave ovens.
The brick oven in our family’s restaurant.
I might hang my laundry out too if this was my view doing it.
The everyday view of spectacular Isnello, Sicily.
A word about the Mafia.
People often ignorantly ask me if my family is in the mafia. You must know that this is a highly insulting question. There is nothing glamorous about organized crime, thugs, murder and the exploitation of the small merchant who must pay a large “protection fee” to thieves You know by now that I’m a huge advocate of the small merchant, farmer, and restaurant owner. There is nothing glamorous living under siege.
The beautiful, warm, kind people of Sicily are not proud of the reputation of the few thugs that sweep their country and they are especially hurt and insulted to be asked if they are part of this darkness as if it’s something to be proud of. I suppose our American culture that was captivated by the Sopranos is part of the blame. And adding insult to injury, there is a restaurant in Nashville that has borrowed it’s name from the mafia. The families living here born who are born in Sicily are appalled that Americans find that attractive. While we with some Sicilian blood are known to have a bit of a temper, most of us believe in God and follow his ways. And after we have our little tirade, we get over it quickly and cook up a nice meal and with a genuine and warm smile.
And, to think I started this post merely to talk about eggplant and reflecting back to my visit to Sicily struck a nerve. Now back to the food.
As I was eating my cousin’s eggplant, my question was “Why can they get that perfect char on a grilled eggplant and I can’t?”
It must be part of the Sicilian heritage. That and the ability to throw a meal on the table in thirty minutes. This must be where I get my “quick fire” talents. While it’s nice to follow long laborious recipes once in a while, it’s not me; it’s not realistic. I’m a gal who likes to have my hands in so many things at once that it’s nothing for me to be cooking and painting a room at the same time and often with a child in one arm. Of course, this means, I have to be fast in the kitchen, and I rarely text. (No hands for it).
When I was choosing our Cooking Italy dinners for the Fall, I wanted us to enjoy a tomato based sauce that we could make easily and satisfy that desire for comfort foods. Below, it is served with an angel hair pasta, but on another occasion, I have made this with a spaghetti squash, which is a great gluten free or lower calorie choice.
This is the perfect going into Fall dish. Tell me, what is the comfort food you most crave this time of year (besides turkey)?
Recipe (adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)
Eggplant Sauce with Tomato and Red Chili Pepper, page 160
Ingredients
- 1 pound eggplant
- salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 3/4 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes
- chopped hot red chili pepper to taste
- 1 pound pasta
Instructions
- Trim, slice eggplant, salt, and allow to sit on paper towels. This will remove the water from eggplant and make frying much easier. Press moisture out using paper towels. Cut into 1 1/2 inch slices, fry in very hot oil. Cut into pieces. Drain again with paper towels.
- Saute garlic in olive oil until golden. Add tomatoes, parsley, chili pepper, salt and stir, simmering for about 25 minutes. Add cooked eggplant, cook a few more minutes.
- Cook pasta (spaghetti works best) al dente according to directions. Add spaghetti to the hot sauce to finish the last minute of cooking. This helps to marry the pasta and sauce.
- Serve with extra chili pepper on side. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
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