Pasta Alla Norma
Easy
Prep 15 min Cook 30 min
Eggplant, tomatoes, basil, and ricotta salata – these four ingredients are the fundamentals of Pasta Alla Norma, a dish that originated in Catania, a city on Sicily’s East coast.
Pasta Alla Norma is one of Sicily’s most epic pasta dishes. A recipe simple in ingredients but oh so tasty and rich in history. But you won’t only find just in Sicily. Trattorias up and down the peninsula feature it on their menus, and it’s not uncommon to find Pizza alla Norma on gourmet pizzerias celebrating some of Italy’s iconic ingredients and the green red and white colours. The lore of its origin goes back to a 19th-century composer, Vincenzo Bellini.
So, where did the name Norma come from? It’s said that Catanese composer, playwright, and poet Nino Martoglio (1870 -1921) was so impressed by the pasta that he called it Norma after fellow Catania native Vincenzo Bellini’s opera. Legend says that Martoglio exclaimed, “Chista è ‘na vera Norma!” (This is a true Norma!) Another tale dates back further, stating that the pasta was created for Norma’s opening night, which premiered on December 26, 1831.
Ingredients
1 large Eggplant
2 cloves of garlic
½ a bunch of fresh basil , (15g)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 chopped onion
olive oil
2 x 400 g tin of quality plum tomatoes
250g The Italian Place Maccheroncini
100g Ricotta Salata
extra virgin olive oil
Recipe Steps
- Chop the eggplants into rough 2cm chunks.
- Drizzle a generous splash of sunflower or vegetable oil into a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the eggplants in a single layer and fry for 5 to 8 minutes, or until softened and golden, stirring occasionally – you may need to do this in batches.
- Remove eggplant from pan with a slotted spoon, sprinkle with oregano, sea salt, black pepper and half of the finely chopped basil.
- Crush garlic cloves flat with the back of a knife and leave whole. Add garlic and onion to a medium saucepan and sauté on medium heat until softened and browned. Once golden, add tinned crushed tomatoes, bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes with a pinch of salt and remaining basil. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water ( salt like the sea, approximately 1 dsp of salt per 1 lt of water) as per the instructions on the back of the pack or until al dente
- Drain the pasta reserving a cupful of the cooking water
- Add the pasta to the sauce and toss well adding in the eggplant and half of the grated Ricotta Salata ( Salted Ricotta can be purchased at any good delicatessen, cheese shop and some supermarkets (leave some grated ricotta for sprinkling at the end) if the sauce and pasta seems to thick, loosen it up with the reserved pasta water.
- Serve hot.