This was a bit of a “two-recipes-in-one” job as one of the ingredients in Stanley’s recipe is a marinara sauce. Luckily, the way Stanley makes his is all over the interwebs, so I made a batch to this recipe
to incorporate into the aubergine mix.
Aubergine? Yes. Anyone who knows me well knows that this is now my most feared foodstuff. After years of being mushroom averse, I can now DO mushrooms. I probably wouldn’t be able to eat a portobello mushroom because… well… FRONDS.
I am not exaggerating when I say that looking at that picture makes me feel quite anxious. But I can now do little mushrooms in recipes I am FORCED to test cook. Aubergines are another matter. But the Pasta alla Norma was assigned to me when Ringo dished out the recipes in Stanley Tucci’s Taste between me and her mum. So I grasped the nettle and made it.
Did I eat it? Yes. Did it cure me of my aubergine antipathy? No.
My dinner guests Lady Sloman (a real lady) and Lady Jane (not a real lady) both scoffed bigger portions than me and laughed at my facial expressions as I ate mine. There was enough left over for pimping up with tuna, breadcrumbs and cheese for a working-from-home lunch next day. To me, this was nicer as the ratio of aubergine to everything else was smaller.
If you fancy having a go at Stanley’s Pasta alla Norma, do get hold of Taste, I heartily recommend it. Not just because I am slightly in love with Stanley, but also because it’s a really good read. The recipe is also featured in an article about Stanley’s life during lockdown which you can read online here.
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2 responses
Lovely article, sounds great apart from the exercise and nappy changing. I too have a tortured relationship with the aubergine having had a very bad attack of food poisoning following a Mousaka, may not have been the eggplant part of it of course, but I haven’t touched either since ! I will stick with the marinara sauce with lentils. I wonder if the neighbours ever get invited in . It must be hell to downwind of his place when the kitchen window is open, would drive me mad.
Oooh, gosh. If I was served Moussaka at a dinner party I would not know WHAT to do. I’d have to put bits of it in my handbag when nobody was looking. Oh what a DREAM to be invited to Stanley’s for dinner! xx