Spicy Penne alla Norma
Here I present my latest; a recipe for Spicy Penne alla Norma; an authentically Italian vegetarian pasta with rich and crunchy vegetables, in a rich tomato sauce.
In case you haven’t heard… we’re in a trade war with our neighbours. Unfortunately, we all still love our neighbour but we have had to make a few mistakes to help our fellow Canadians.
In this spirit I’m ordering a local fruit and veggie box instead of the produce that normally gets imported.
Lemons and Lemonade
In this veggie box I got an eggplant 🍆 which I’m not exactly in-love with… so I took lemons 🍋 and made lemonade.
I made this quick pasta that literally came together in about 20 minutes. It was rich and delicious and I didn’t even miss the meat.
This is how you make it
Place a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Make sure you add salt to the pasta water. Cook the pasta according to cooking instructions.
In a sauce pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and red pepper flakes.
When the olive oil is hot, add the onion, red peppers, and eggplant; season with salt and pepper.
Drop the heat to medium-low and sauté until the veggies start to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the garlic.
Sauté the garlic for about 30 seconds, careful to not let it burn.
Turn the heat to high and add the wine, stir and let the wine reduce.
Add the jarred tomatoes to the pot and then add the stock to the jar to rinse out any tomato residue, then add it to the sauce.
Season with the salt and pepper; about a half tsp of salt and about ¼ tsp black pepper, approximately 12 to 15 spins of the Peppermill.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan; it should be ready any time now. The sauce can simmer until it’s ready.
Add in the capers.
Give everything a quick mix, and then serve.
Feel free to top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and then a few more capers!
Ingredients used in this dish
Penne
Capers
What I served with this dish
Caesar Salad
Spicy Penne alla Norma; an authentically Italian vegetarian pasta with rich and crunchy vegetables, in a rich tomato sauce.
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Spicy Penne all Norma
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Spicy Penne alla Norma; an authentically Italian vegetarian pasta with rich and crunchy vegetables, in a rich tomato sauce.
Ingredients
500 g box of Penne pasta (or whatever you have on hand)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp – 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Small onion, sliced into sticks
1 Small red pepper, sliced into sticks
1 Small eggplant, cubed
3 Coves garlic, crushed
¼ Cup wine (white or red)
680 ml jar of strained tomatoes (Passata)
1 cup sodium-reduced stock (I use beef)
1/2 tsp Salt, or to taste, plus more
1/4 tsp Pepper, or to taste
1 tbsp of capers, not rinsed
Instructions
Place a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Make sure you add salt to the pasta water. Cook the pasta according to cooking instructions.
In a sauce pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and red pepper flakes.
When the olive oil is hot, add the onion, red peppers, and eggplant; season with salt and pepper.
Drop the heat to medium-low and sauté until the veggies start to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the garlic.
Sauté the garlic for about 30 seconds, careful to not let it burn.
Turn the heat to high and add the wine, stir and let the wine reduce.
Add the jarred tomatoes to the pot and then add the stock to the jar to rinse out any tomato residue, then add it to the sauce.
Season with the salt and pepper; about a half tsp of salt and about ¼ tsp black pepper, approximately 12 to 15 spins of the Peppermill.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan; it should be ready any time now. The sauce can simmer until it’s ready.
Add in the capers.
Give everything a quick mix, and then serve.
Feel free to top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and then a few more capers!
Notes
- Only cook with wine that you drink; white or red work fine here.
- You can use stock in place of the wine.
- If you don’t have wine or stock on hand you can use water in their place. The idea is to add some liquid to cook out otherwise the tomatoes will become too concentrated.
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
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