Anna DiMaio grew up in the restaurant business, starting as a waitress at 11 years old, answering phones and taking orders. And her Sicilian heritage has always put food in the center of family gatherings. She has fond memories of her grandmother cooking in the kitchen, “just throwing things together and making incredible family meals on the fly,” she says.
When thinking about a cozy night in during the winter, it probably includes a dinner of comfort food, and that is just what Anna has on Sunday evenings at home. Admittedly, she usually shares her day off with the same people she works with—her family, who has owned DiMaio's, a home-style Italian restaurant, for 34 years.
When it's a meal shared with her large Sicilian family, her go-to is a sweet red sauce that simmers for hours on the stove and is poured over pasta, but when it's a night in with her husband, it's all about simplicity. This spicy tomato sauce over rigatoni with fried Sicilian eggplant is her regular Sunday supper. (Specialty grocery stores, like Elias Market in Allentown, sell Sicilian eggplant, which is a bit different than regular eggplant.) Eggplant is Anna's favorite, and this fried Sicilian eggplant is a refreshing change from a more traditional meatball. Her garlic-based sauce is easy to throw together and takes less time on the stove. Anna jokes that in her house, the sauce is never referred to as gravy: “My mother and grandma don't even know how to say that word!”
Ingredients
- 1 Sicilian eggplant
- 2 28-oz. cans Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes
- 5–8 cloves fresh garlic, smashed not finely chopped
- 4–7 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. hot pepper flakes
- Fresh basil, 5–9 leaves
- Rigatoni pasta (Anna prefers pasta with an opening to really soak up the sauce)
Directions
Sicilian Eggplant
Peel eggplant and cut into one-inch slices. Place in a strainer and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for a half hour to an hour, depending on when the eggplant sweats out the bitterness—juices will start to strain.
Pour olive oil in a deep pan. Use enough oil so that the eggplant is covered and floating when dropped in the oil. Allow the oil to get hot, then add eggplant a few at a time. Turn them over when they start to get a nice brown color. Remove and place them in a strainer to let the excess oil drain and cool off.
Sunday Sauce
Coat the pot with extra virgin olive oil. Add fresh garlic, salt and pepper on medium heat. Let the garlic cook; it will become a nice light brown color. Add the Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes, basil and hot pepper flakes (to your liking). Crush the tomatoes as the sauce is cooking. Place on a low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
While the sauce is cooking, boil the water for the rigatoni. Add salt, and cook al dente. When the pasta is ready, you can either pour the pasta and the sauce together and mix it, or just place it on top of the sauce, as pictured. Add the eggplant and enjoy!
DiMaio's Italian Ristorante & Pizzeria | 27 Main St., Hellertown | 610.838.8004 | dimaios.net
