Text 7421, 125 rader
Skriven 2013-12-02 23:39:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av JIM WELLER
Ärende: bottle class 538
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 JW> When Neekha was four...  Her response was that she only wanted
 JW> one bottle in her whole life and she would refill it at home from
 JW> the tap but she wanted a cool bottle like the rich kids had! I told
 JW> her in that case to get the prettiest, coolest bottle and not worry
 JW> about the price. She made it last a whole semester. $2.99 well
 JW> spent.

I make a point of drinking tap water even where it is darn close
to impotable, as in my former haunts of Arizona and Arkansas. On
occasion the Brita pitcher gets some use, but that's far less
unsound than those bottles.

Even in the hotels, which offer it free in the rooms, I tend to
ignore bottled water.

But for some the status is important, so let it be. Next week I
am going to a fancy-schmancy wine dinner and will probably bring
a bottle of a decent Vosne-Romanee, whereas I could get a much
better bottle of Chambolle-Musigny premier cru for the same or
less cost, but the Romanee name, people genuflect before that.

Pasta ncasciata
categories: Sicilian, baked, main
Servings: 4

Quantities are approximate, as always in Italian cuisine
2 eggplants
4 eggs (try to buy good eggs)
4 garlic cloves
1 bn basil
Meatballs in ragu made with 300 g meat
1 kg macaronis
100 g caciocavallo or other grating cheese
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 ragù sauce, with sliced harb-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 put 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.

Published 05/02/2008 at http://FXcuisine.com/default.asp?Display=145
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