Pasquale Scarpetta Recipes

ITALIAN PICKLED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Peel and thinly slice the eggplant, I cut it crosswise in three, then thinly sliced them (see photos), do them one at a time, after you have done one, place the cut eggplant in a bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon of salt, continue with each eggplant. Cover the bowl and let sit for 8 hours at room temperature.
• After the 8 hours, drain the liquid (but do not rinse the eggplant) and squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible.
• In a big pot bring to a boil the water and white wine vinegar, add the eggplant and boil for about 7-10 minutes or until tender. Taste one to make sure it is tender.
• Drain the eggplant and again wring out excess moisture. Place the eggplant in a large bowl and toss with the spices. Spoon into the sterilized jars , leaving at least 3/4 inch of space, then top with oil. Make sure that the eggplant is completely covered with oil, press down on the eggplant to remove any air bubbles and add more oil if necessary before closing the jar. Let sit at least 24 hours before serving. Enjoy!

PASQUALE SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Combine meat, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg and chili powder. Form into quite small sized meatballs.
• Heat oil in frypan, brown meatballs, add onion and garlic. When browned, add tomatoes, chicken broth, wine and tomato paste. Simmer 30 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve over thin spaghetti al dente.
• Top with parmesan cheese.