Palermo when it comes to baked pasta, means exclusively one type of pasta, the Anelletti.
It ‘a classic, but this type of pasta is hard to find in other parts of Italy.
Ingredients for anelletti:
- (6 people)
- 400g anelletti
- 3 eggplants
- Grated cheese 70 g
- fresh cheese 100g
- breadcrumbs
For the sauce ragù:
- 900g of tomato passata
- 100g peas
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 500g ground mince
- Oil
- 1/2 glass of red wine
For the sauce Bechamel sauce:
- 500ml milk
- 50g butter
- 50g flour
- salt
- nutmeg
You can also divide the preparation in two days.
- Wash and cut the eggplant into chunks .
- Put them to soak in cold and salted water for two hours, then rinse and dry.
- Fry in hot vegetable oil and place them on a paper towel.
Prepare the sauce Ragù:
- Chop the onion and carrots and fry them in a pan with 3 tablespoons of oil
- and let cook on high heat, stir well with a wooden spoon.
- Pour the wine.
- United salt, pepper, the tomatoes passata and a little water.
- Simmer the sauce for 40 minutes (you have to make the sauce. Consider if you prefer to have a dry sauce or more liquid *)
- Cook the peas, drain and add them to the sauce cold. If you use frozen ones, defrosted them in boiling salted water.
Then prepare the Béchamel sauce:
- Melt butter
- Add the flour and stir for a few minutes .
- Add the hot milk ,salt and nutmeg.
- Cook until the sauce thickens
Let cool
Prepare the dough:
- In a large pot, bring to boil salt water.
- Add the pasta and cook Al dente (about 3 minutes before the time indicated for cooking).
- Preheat oven to 200 °
- Put anelletti cooked in a large bowl or pot (without water)
- Pour the sauce and the eggplant.
- Cut into chunks and add the cheese.
- Oiled a cake pan or a bowl and sprinkle some cheese and a breadcrumbs (whole surface must be covered, a bit like when you make cakes and you have to butter and flour the pan).
- Pour into the pan anelletti and sprinkle again over the breadcrumbs and the cheese
- Bake for about 30 minutes. They will be ready when it creates a crust.
Translated By: Corinne Niccoli