pasta alla Norma
 

Hi all,
I found this link to a discussion of and recipe for pasta alla Norma
(which does mention an optional nonveg ingredient, beware):
http://fxcuisine.com/default.asp?Display=84

Gorgeous! Basically, it's pasta with ricotta salata (cheese), a
simple tomato sauce, fried (not breaded) eggplants, and fresh basil.

Since I had some ricotta salata, I made it, with store-bought sauce
(feeling lazy). It was so delicious I kept making it, maybe 3-4 times
in the following week.

To make the dish with storebought ("fresh") ricotta, I'd strain that
cheese with a cheesecloth-lined colander in a fridge overnight to get
the whey out, they mix a little salt into the solids. (Or just use
plain ricotta as is, if that sounds like a pain. It'll still be
delicious.)

Vegan-wise, well-drained, finely crumbled/grated, salted tofu might
work. Maybe with a little nutritional yeast or MSG to get the flavor
closer. I'll give it a whirl next time I get some tofu, or if you do,
please post how it works out.

Today, I made another variation: I breaded and baked the eggplant
slices. I called it pasta all' abnorma, but I'm in kind of punchy
mood. *grin*


Enjoy!
N.