Burrata Ravioli alla Norma

For the eggplant...

Peel strips of the skin off of 1 large eggplant so that some areas are skinless and others are not. Medium dice the eggplant; in a bowl, toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper until lightly coated. Halve 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes; toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread vegetables on a baking sheet and roast at 400F until eggplant is tender and tomatoes are beginning to brown, ~20-25 minutes, stirring once halfway. Set aside and allow to cool.

For the filling…

Combine ⅔ of the roasted eggplant with 8 ounces burrata cheese, torn into pieces, in a food processor. Pulse until combined but not totally smooth. Season to taste.

Time to shape…

1. Using your usual egg pasta dough, roll a section into a thin sheet. Divide the sheet in half crosswise--one portion will be used as the bottom of the ravioli; the other as the top.

2. Choose your desired cutter and mark the outline of the ravioli across on of the sheets, leaving about an inch of room between each. I made ~2-inch ravioli and used a fluted cookie cutter. Spoon ~1 teaspoon (depending on the size of your ravioli) of filling within each outline.

3. Brush a small amount of water around the edges of each outline. Carefully lay the other half of the pasta sheet on top, making sure each filling pocket is fully covered with room to spare. Press around the filling to seal and remove any air bubbles. To make mine look uniform, I lightly pressed the blunt side of a smaller cutter around the filling.

4. Cut out the ravioli and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Repeat!

For the sauce…

Quarter or large dice another pint of tomatoes (I used very sweet pearl tomatoes on the vine). In a medium bowl, douse tomatoes in kosher salt and toss to combine. Allow to sit at room temp for 10-20 minutes so tomatoes release juices and absorb the seasoning. In a large saute pan, heat a few tablespoons olive oil and add 2-3 cloves minced garlic. Cook very briefly until fragrant, and immediately follow with salted tomatoes. Simmer tomatoes until they begin to break down and turn saucy, ~10 minutes. Add remaining eggplant and roasted tomatoes to the pan and stir to combine (remove any large bits of tomato skin).

Finishing touches…

Cook ravioli in well-salted water and transfer to the pan with sauce. Toss gently to combine. Serve immediately, topped with ricotta salata, fresh herbs (mint, basil, parsley), and more sauce!