Pasta alla Norma
The quintessential Sicilian pasta — silky tomato sauce, fried eggplant, ricotta salata. A dish born in Catania, perfected in my kitchen.
Ingredients
- 400grigatoni or penne
- 2medium eggplants
- 400gSan Marzano tomatoes
- 3 clovesgarlic
- 100gricotta salata
- Freshbasil leaves
- Extra virginolive oil
- To tastesea salt and black pepper
Method
Salt the eggplant cubes generously and let rest 30 minutes. Pat dry.
Fry eggplant in hot olive oil until golden. Drain on paper towels.
Sauté garlic in olive oil, add crushed tomatoes, simmer 15 minutes.
Cook pasta al dente. Toss with sauce, top with eggplant and grated ricotta salata.
Finish with fresh basil and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Frequently asked
Why is it called pasta alla Norma?
After Bellini's opera Norma. Bellini was from Catania, and the story goes that a local called the dish a 'Norma' as the highest compliment he could pay it.
Should the aubergine be fried or baked for pasta alla Norma?
Fried. It is the whole point of the dish — the aubergine should be soft and rich, not dry. Salt it first, let it drain, and fry in hot oil so it colours rather than absorbs.
What cheese goes on pasta alla Norma?
Ricotta salata, grated over at the table. It is pressed and salted ricotta, sharper and firmer than parmesan, and it is what separates a Norma from any other tomato and aubergine pasta.
Learn to make Pasta alla Norma with Chef Gabriele
A recipe gets you most of the way there. The rest is in the hands — how the dough should feel, when to stop working it, what the pan should sound like. Chef Gabriele teaches the hands-on pasta making classin Leichhardt, Sydney's Little Italy, in small groups where everyone cooks.
