Pasta 'ncasciata

GialloZafferano’s selected pasta ’ncasciata follows a Messinese baked version with tortiglioni, fried eggplant, tomato sauce, boiled eggs, mortadella, cow’s-milk ricotta and caciocavallo. Its layered filling gives a substantial Sicilian pasta dish.

The eggs are boiled, cooled and sliced. Some eggplant becomes broad slices while the remainder is diced; both cuts fry in extra-virgin olive oil and drain separately.

A separate tomato sauce begins with garlic lightly fried in olive oil, followed by passata, torn basil, salt and black pepper. The garlic is removed before drained, al-dente tortiglioni are mixed through the sauce.

Half the dressed pasta lines a lightly greased baking dish. Diced eggplant, mortadella and boiled egg go over it, followed by ricotta and part of the grated caciocavallo; the remaining pasta and eggplant build the next layers.

Eggplant slices and the final caciocavallo cover the surface. Baking brings the layers together before the complete pasta is served hot; this selected Messinese formula remains distinct from the source’s ragù, pea and salami variations.