Ciao, ragazzi. Annalena was going to post a different second recipe this week, but since she was making Election Night dinner for the Guyman and herself, she's posting this, for many reasons.
First: NONE OF YOU HAVE ANY EXCUSE FOR NOT VOTING, PERIOD. Annalena will NOT get into a discussion of WHO you should be voting for, although you probably know her views on that, but in any event, to say "I didn't vote because....", simply is not going to cut it anymore. Annalena and the Guyman each have three appointments on Tuesday, and they have a full day of work. WE WILL BE VOTING. You should be too.
And this post is to take the issue of dinner off the table. Yes, ragazzi, some of you will use dinner as an excuse. MAKE IT AHEAD. And here's one that Annalena approves of, which is simple enough to make, and which is going to be even better if you make it today, or tomorrow, and eat it on Tuesday.
And, she will even throw out this offer: if there are any of you nearby, who "just can't," if you vote, Annalena will share this casserole with you. There's plenty. First two or three to ask, get fed.
Now, onto this dinner. By now, most of you will know of Annalena's love of Sicily, and Sicilian food. Thus it is sometimes surprising for Annalena to hear that people do not know that the dish "pasta alla norma" is Sicilian. Simple, seasonal, and elegant, you should all be making it: pasta, tomato sauce, fried eggplant, and ricotta salata. Very easy.
"Fried" will put some of you off immediately: it takes too long. "Eggplant" will throw off others. And that's fair, to some extent. But IT IS ELECTION DAY . So, Annalena took a recipe from her beloved friends at City Saucery, and adapted it a bit, to make it more user friendly for those of you who may have issues. Here we go.
First, you need a good pound, pound and a half of eggplant, which you will cut up into small cubes:
Not a fan of eggplant? Use another vegetable. Use mushrooms. Use butternut squash. Use a big summer squash if you have it. For heaven's sakes, use peppers or some combination. Clean out your refrigerator. JUST DO IT. And then preheat your oven, to 425
Now, after you've cut up the veggies, peel and smash 8 cloves of garlic. Mix this with your eggplant, and 1/4 cup of olive oil, and a big pinch of salt. Get it into a baking dish:
Don't like garlic? DON'T USE IT. Like garlic, but 8 sounds like too many? CUT IT BACK. C'mon, as Madonna said "use your imagination/that's what it's for." Stir this all together, and put it in the oven, for 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
And to those other ingredients. You will need two eggs, and about a cup of a firm cheese, cubed. Annalena used feta here, because she was out of ricotta salata . Use provolone if that's all you can get. Use a young pecorino. Or just ask the guy or gal at the store what you should use:
Now, you will also need one quart of tomato sauce. Ragazzi, you know how Annalena is about making her sauce. Sometimes, she doesn't have any on hand. That's where the City Saucery folk come in. Annalena LOVES their sauce. So, whether you make it yourself, whether you buy it, JUST GET A QUART OF TOMATO SAUCE. Geez, you can get it everywhere. Try not to buy one with corn syrup or other yucky stuff, please.
Add that sauce, with a nice quantity of parmesan, to the cheese and eggs, and then mix everything up. If you don't have parmesan.... FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE USE PECORINO.
Remember we were baking eggplant? Well, here they are, after 30 minutes in the oven:
If you used the garlic, and you really fear for putting a whole clove in your mouth, well, it's not the biggest thing that's been there (at least that's Annalena's hope), but if you don't want it, fish it out. You can see what is eggplant and what is garlic. And if you miss one or two, please, don't go nuts.
You're going to let this eggplant cool, while you begin cooking a pound of pasta. Annalea used bucatini. You should use what you have, and what you like. But cook it LESS than al dente, because it's going into the oven.
While that pasta is hot, add the tomato sauce mixture, and the eggplant, and stir it all together:
Remember that pan you used to bake the eggplant? Now, dump this stuff into the pan (it's probably still got enough olive oil for it to be considered "greased"), and put it in the oven at 425 (remember we kept the oven on), for 30 minutes. If you like, put some parmesan on top. See rants above for options. If you can find some good basil, throw some in. If you have pesto, maybe use some of that. And if you have none of these, you're fine.
Your house will smell wonderful. You will be SO proud of yourself. And you will be on your way to fulfilling your civic duty.
Seriously kids, this stuff is important. If you sat out the last one, or if you voted for someone whom you knew couldn't win because you couldn't find a perfect candidate, look at yourself in the mirror. Can you live with yourself if you do it again? Think about the last 2 years. And if you're not happy, whether you like it or not THIS IS YOUR FAULT. Purge that fault. VOTE
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