Pasta 'ncasciàta (pasta o' fùrnu)
This celebratory baked pasta dish champions some of Calabria's most prized ingredients – Tropea onions, pork and aubergines. The rigatoni is dressed in a rich ragù before being layered with slices of aubergine, meatballs, cured meats, cheese and hard-boiled eggs, which meld together and result in a deeply satisfying meal that's perfect for a grand family get-together.
Called pasta o' fùrnu in the northern part of the region, or pasta 'ncasciàta in the southernmost tip of the boot, this dish is a feast for the eyes and palate – a combination of ingredients so rich and complex it requires not just good planning, but a good appetite, too. It consists of short pasta (often rigatoni) tossed with meat ragù, then encased (ncasciàta) between slices of fried aubergines alongside meatballs, provola, soppressata and, sometimes, even hard-boiled eggs. This is then baked until it all comes together into a decadent delight. A dish for Sunday family lunches.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
For the ragù
- 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tropea onion, finely chopped
- 300g of pork mince
- 300g of beef mince
- 600g of passata
- fine sea salt, as needed
- freshly ground black pepper, as needed
For the meatballs
- 200g of stale bread, white
- 250g of pork mince
- 250g of beef mince
- 100g of pecorino, grated
- 2 tbsp of parsley, finely chopped
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs
- fine sea salt, as needed
- freshly ground black pepper, as needed
- extra virgin olive oil, for frying
For the aubergines
- 2 large aubergines, cut into 0.5cm slices, patted dry with kitchen paper
To assemble the dish
- 500g of rigatoni pasta
- 200g of provola cheese, diced
- 150g of soppressata, thinly sliced
- 4 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and quartered (optional)
- pecorino, as needed
Method
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