35 minutes
A delightful pasta dish featuring crispy fried eggplant, fresh basil-infused tomato sauce, and fusilli pasta topped with grated ricotta salata or pecorino cheese.
Japanese Eggplant, trimmed and sliced thinly
0 lb
Salt, for seasoning and pasta water
to taste
cups
cups
cups
0 lb
Ricotta Salata Cheese, grated
0 lb
1. Prepare Eggplant
Trim the ends off the eggplants and slice them thinly. Lay the slices in a colander and sprinkle them generously with salt. Let the eggplant sit for about 15 minutes to draw out excess moisture.
2. Fry Eggplant
Heat half a cup of olive oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels to remove the moisture and excess salt. Fry the slices in the hot oil until they turn golden brown and crisp, a few minutes per side. Transfer the fried eggplant slices to a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil.
3. Prepare Sauce
In a large saucepan, gently heat 2 cups of Simple Tomato Sauce and stir in the basil chiffonade.
4. Cook Fusilli
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the fusilli until it is al dente. Reserve half a cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the fusilli.
5. Combine and Serve
Toss the cooked fusilli with the warm tomato basil sauce and the fried eggplant slices in a large bowl. If the pasta seems a bit dry, add some of the reserved pasta water until you reach the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle the grated ricotta salata over the top, and serve immediately.
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