Rigatoni alla Siciliana is one of the most famous dishes of the Italian culinary tradition, rich in flavour, born from the combination of fried aubergines, tomatoes and provola cheese. Simple, colourful, delicious, this dish never disappoints! All it takes is a few easily available ingredients and a little elaborate preparation to bring all the flavour of the south to the table. The secret to enjoying them at their best? Liguori Rigatoni IGP, a format that retains the sauce in an inimitable way.
Ingredients
SERVES 4
350 g Rigatoni
600 ml tomato purée
500 g aubergines (about 3 aubergines)
350 g Fiordilatte cheese
1 garlic clove
PREPARATION: Peel, wash, dry and dice the aubergines, then fry them in a high-sided pan, a little at a time, in plenty of hot oil. Put the aubergines aside and prepare the sauce: in a saucepan sauté a clove of crushed garlic and 5 tablespoons of oil, brown and add the tomato puree, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes. Season with salt and bring the water to the boil, cook the rigatoni 13 minutes or, if you prefer them al dente, 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, take the garlic out of the sauce and add the aubergines. Drain the pasta, put it back into the pan and add the sauce. Add the diced provola, Parmesan cheese, plenty of basil, give it a stir over low heat so that the provola melts, and serve with some fried aubergines kept aside and a fresh basil leaf.
Liguori's tip
To remove the water from the aubergines and ensure a crispy result, the previously washed and cut aubergines should be left for 30 minutes sprinkled with plenty of coarse salt under a weight (a plate, a bowl). Then simply dry them and remove the excess salt with a kitchen cloth.