Text 24544, 131 rader
Skriven 2012-05-08 02:16:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av BURTON FORD
Ärende: NTF 612
===============
 BF> Seriously, I did read it all and loved the detail and marveled at his
 BF> style.  But he could be either a teaching Chef, or an amateur cook
 BF> looking down his long and aristocratic nose.  

Go to fxcuisine.com/about-my-kitchen.asp and see for yourself.
He stopped posting altogether in 2009.

 BF> P.S.  At post time I suddenly thought it might be your writing, and
 BF> that my light message might be taken as a studied insult.  But then I
 BF> was sure it was not at all your style.

Not at all my style, either in writing or cooking, but I
enjoyed the site very much.

 BF> Well it happened once and I didn't record that sublime moment.  If I
 BF> had I'm sure my Son or one of my Grandboys could have copied it to my
 BF> computer. 
 BF> Think of the fees I could have gotten for the copyright version!

NTF. But of course the copyright would belong to the
person who uttered the words.

 BF> Well, at least I saw and heard it myself.

Indeed.

Pasta n'casciata
cat: Italian, main, fxcuisine
servings: 4

2 eggplants
4 eggs
4 garlic cloves
1 bn basil
Meatballs in ragu made with 300 g meat
1 kg macaronis
100 g caciocavallo
Breadcrumbs

Uber-cult baked Sicilian pasta very rarely seen outside the
island. Eating it off your computer screen is calorie-free.

Pasta n'casciata [enkashiatah] - pressed pasta - is one of
those Sicilian dishes of cult standing that are almost
unknown outside Italy. In essence, it is macaroni with
meatballs in ragu sauce, with sliced hard-boiled eggs,
grated pecorino, fried eggplants and garlic. This is
gorgeous pasta already but the real kick comes when you bake
it in the oven until the pasta becomes crispy all around.
This is just insane - layers upon layers of happiness. And
all with relatively inexpensive ingredients and some work.

This dish enjoys cult status in Sicily and, as always, has
been enshrined in a book by Andrea Camilleri, Italy's most
popular living writer. In Terracotta Dog, police detective
Montalbano arrives and sees 'in the oven sat enthroned a
dish with four portions of pasta ncasciata, a dish worthy of
the Olymp. He ate two portions.'

Start by preparing the meatballs and ragu. You could do this
the day before for a simple pasta with meatballs dish and
use the extra quantity for pasta n'casciata.

Slice the eggplants and fry them like a sicilian mama.

Here I did it by first frying crushed garlic in olive oil
until the garlic started to turn brown. Then fry the
eggplants.

Please read the article How to fry an eggplant like a
sicilian mama for the traditional and best way to do it.
Note that the fried garlic is an addition welcome by most
Sicilian food aficionados. You could also add the garlic in
the ragu.

Hard boil your eggs, then shell them and slice them in thick
slices.

Grate the caciocavallo. If you can't find this very typical
south Italian cheese, you can replace it with pecorino or
even parmesan. Of course each will impart your dish a
different flavor, but it takes a really special chef to cook
a bad dish with such equally good ingredients.

I make my own maccheroni rigati with the Kenwood/Delonghi
Pasta Machine - Kenwood the British family company that is.
But almost nodoby does, even in Sicily, so you can use
bought pasta. Just make sure it is made from semolina (hard
wheat) and bronze extruded for an extra coarse surface that
sauce will coat well.

Start your oven to high. Fill your largest pot with water,
add salt and NO oil and bring this to a rolling boil.

Cook your pasta but keep it quite al dente - undercooked, as
it will continue to cook in the sauce.

Choose an oven-resistant dish large enough to accomodate the
pasta and all the other ingredients. Oil the inside
thoroughly and add as much breadcrumbs as needed to coat the
entire surface. This will prevent your pasta from sticking.
Just move the dish like a gold digger move her platter.

Now for the final stage. Add just enough pasta to cover the
bottom of your dish, then cover with meatballs and proceed
with some of the eggplants, garlic and sliced eggs and
freshly chopped basil.

Add some of the grated cheese and don't be mean - cheesy is
beautiful.

Continue until you run out of ingredients. Top with grated
cheese and bake in the oven. Now for the baking there are
various ways. Some people do it like a Neapolitan frittata
di maccheroni, in a pot on the gas stove. Other put a lid on
a pot and cover it with hot embers for extra crispiness on
top. Most modern cooks do it in the oven, but it will take
several trials until you get the really crispy pasta that
gives its dish yet another layer of charm.

Remove from the oven and call your guests to the table -
they won't have long to wait. Place a plate on top  and
turn the baking dish upside down.

Use a knife to pry the pasta n'casciata open. Serve.

fxcuisine.com 05/02/2008

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