A’ pasta n’casciata. Born as a leftover recipe, it later found its identity in the culinary world.
I wouldn’t call it a timbale, because it used to be cooked in a terracotta pot placed on hot coals and served in that very pot.
The name of the pasta comes from this particular way of cooking: “u ncaçiu” in the Mistretta dialect literally means covering the pot with embers.
As I mentioned before, today we make it without recycling, with a tomato sauce, hard-boiled eggs, caciocavallo, fried eggplant (you’ll see options) and lots of basil.
Below you will find the traditional preparation of the pasta and then the Thermomix (Bimby) version; in both cases the final cooking continues in the oven. From my land to you.

Recipes thought for you:

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Inexpensive
Preparation time: 50 Minutes
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Oven, Boiling
Cuisine: Regional Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients for A’ pasta n’casciata

1 1/4 cups eggplant
7 fl oz (about 7/8 cup) sunflower oil
1/4 cup onion
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cups (about 24.7 oz) tomato purée (passata)
to taste salt
3 eggs
5.3 oz caciocavallo (Ragusano PDO)
10 leaves basil
10.6 oz (about 3 1/3 cups dry) short pasta

A’ pasta n’casciata

Tools

Terracotta pot
2 Frying pans
Pot
Saucepan or Thermomix
Cutting board
Knife

Preparation: A’ pasta n’caciata by Rita Amordicucina

I prefer to use the classic violet eggplants. In this recipe they are fried, but I provide an oven option for those who prefer not to fry.
If you fry them, slice them about 0.5 cm thick (about 1/4 inch), sprinkle with salt and place them in a colander with a weight on top for about 1 hour.
Rinse them, pat dry with a cloth and fry them in plenty of sunflower oil. Then let them drain in a colander and continue with the recipe.
If instead you want to bake them, there’s no need to salt them first: cut them into 2 cm cubes (about 3/4 inch). Arrange them on a baking tray with a pinch of salt and a light brush of extra virgin olive oil, and bake at 374°F (190°C) convection for 15 minutes.
They will look like this.
Chop the onion and the garlic into pieces,
Put them in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil and let them flavor for about 3 minutes.
When the onion is slightly browned, pour in the tomato purée and a small pinch of salt, stir and…
Cover with a splatter screen. Let cook gently for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, get ahead and prepare the hard-boiled eggs.
Cook the pasta until al dente
Put the onion and garlic in the Thermomix bowl and chop for 7 sec. at speed 7. Scrape down with the spatula, add the extra virgin olive oil and sauté for 3 min. at 230°F (110°C) speed 1.
Add the tomato purée, half a teaspoon of salt, and cook for 10 minutes at 212°F (100°C) speed 1. When finished, rinse the bowl and…
Pour in 500 g of water (about 17.6 fl oz). Place the eggs in the basket and cook for 16 min. at Varoma speed 1.
When cooked, rinse them under running water and peel.
Cook the pasta until al dente.
Cut the cheese into cubes.
Peel and slice the hard-boiled eggs as well.
Drain the pasta and pour the sauce over it. Add the eggs, eggplant, basil leaves torn by hand and the cheese, mix and
Transfer everything into a terracotta pot. If you don’t have one, put the pasta in a baking dish; in any case neither should be covered.
Turn the grill on to 392°F (200°C), place the pot on the middle rack and bake until a golden crust appears on top.
How browned it gets is subjective, depending on whether you like it slightly or more charred. The original recipe calls for placing the terracotta pot in the embers, but those of us without embers must make do with a home oven.
Here is A’ pasta n’casciata, ready to serve.