Pasta alla norma

History

The pasta alla norma is a pasta dish in Sicilian cuisine from catania, an Italy city on the east coast of Sicily. There are different theories about "pasta all norma"

the first theory: says that the name of the dish was given by a playwright Nino Martoglio. He was comparing the goodness of the pasta with the opera lirica and exclaimed: This is a Norma! 

The second theory: is that while writing this masterpiece Vincenzo Bellini used to go to a restaurant and ordered always this dish of pasta, so the owner finally name it after his opera to homage Bellini.

Ingredients

- 320 g of pasta                                     - 1 eggplant
- 1 garlic clove                                      - 150 g ricotta
- 200 g of ripe tomatoes                        - 1 bunch Italian basil
- 1 spoonful crushed tomato                 - virgin olive oil
                                             - salt      
Serves: 4 people
Preparation
1- To start with, boil the pasta.
2- Next cut the eggplant in slices and fry them with a splash of oil and the garlic clove. After this, add the sliced tomatoes and the spoonful of crushed tomato.
3- When the pasta has been boiling for 3 minutes, drain it and add it to the skillet with the eggplant and some water.
4- Finally, serve the pasta with the eggplant, the tomato sauce and top with the ricotta cheese grated and some basil.

In this video you can see who prepared the recipe!

Source wikipedia, viagourtment.com, canalcocina.es

LOCRO

The Locro is a generalized practice to commemorate Argentina's national holiday, in particular May 25 as a symbol of the country.

Although locro is a typical dish of our native gastronomy, it is not of local origin.Locro is a hearty thick stew popular all over South America, is a classic Ecuadorian dish and is also a dish in Peruvian cuisine

Locro is a food with many calories and nutrients, suitable to consume during the cold winter days

   

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2 people

• 1 cup of dried white corn
• 2 medium-sized chopped white onions
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 200g thick-sliced smoked bacon
• 2 Criole sausages
• 1-inch thick steaks of stewing beef
• 1 cup tripe
• Pigs' feet
• 1 cup beans
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• Ground black pepper and salt to taste
• 1 soupspoon olive oil
• 1 cup sweet potato
• 1 large potato
• Chopped spring onion for garnish

PROCESS

• Soak the dried white corn in at least two cups of water, at least for 12 hours – preferably overnight.
• In a large, heavy-based pot, cook the onions, garlic, leek, stewing beef, sausages, pigs' feet and tripe if you’re brave, and bacon in a little vegetable oil until the onions are translucent. Add the cumin, paprika, a little salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the white corn kernels and then add enough hot water to cover the ingredients by about 2 inches.
• Add the vegetables and the lima beans, if using. Bring the whole thing to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for around two hours. Check the pot every 20 minutes or so and stir.
• After two hours remove the pan lid and continue to cook over a low heat. Remove the bones. Mash the vegetables slowly, and as the starch gets released, the mixture will thicken into a stew.
• Continue mashing and cooking until you have achieved a rich, thick consistency. Add a little more salt to taste and

Bon appétit! 

How to do locro.

  by Fede and Nico