The Pasta alla Norma, an institution in Sicily — more precisely in Catania where it was born — is a very simple dish with few ingredients but full of flavor, prepared strictly with fried eggplant. Just like Grandma used to make it.
If there is a dish that encapsulates the essence of Catania and all of Sicily, it is without doubt Pasta alla Norma. This recipe is a triumph of Mediterranean ingredients: fried eggplant, fresh tomato, basil and the indispensable grated ricotta salata like a snow shower.
The name of this dish is linked to a famous episode in Catania’s history. It is said that the playwright Nino Martoglio, faced with such a perfect plate of pasta, exclaimed: “Chista è ‘na vera Norma!”, comparing it to the famous opera by Vincenzo Bellini.
From that moment on, the bond between the music of the Swan of Catania and the flavors of his land became indissoluble.
Another, less poetic but more practical version, suggests that the recipe was created to celebrate the premiere of “Norma” at the Teatro Grande in 1831. In any case, the secret lies in the quality of the raw ingredients: the eggplant should be the dark or “silk” variety, and the frying must be done perfectly in olive oil.
Like all typical recipes, Pasta alla Norma has delightful variations in every family, and they cherish them with love, handed down as in this case from Grandma.
The Norma sauce is prepared with peeled tomatoes or tomato purée, a simple sauce that enriches the fried eggplant and finishes with grated ricotta salata directly on each individual plate.
If you also love eggplants and traditional recipes, look below at the other ideas I propose and then let’s go right after the photo to discover how to prepare Pasta alla Norma Grandma’s recipe!!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients Pasta alla Norma
- 14 oz pasta (penne, mezze maniche or rigatoni)
- 1 lb black oval eggplants
- 1 2/3 cups tomato purée (or peeled tomatoes)
- 1 clove garlic
- 5 oz ricotta salata
- to taste basil
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pinches salt
Preparation Pasta alla Norma Grandma’s recipe
To prepare Pasta alla Norma, first make the tomato purée with fresh tomatoes, preferably Pacchino tomatoes.
We usually make and preserve it so we always have it ready; if you don’t have it you can use peeled tomatoes.
The tomato sauce should be cooked for at least 20 minutes with extra virgin olive oil and strictly without onion until it becomes nicely thick; you can then pass it through a food mill if desired.
Then return it to the pan, add the crushed garlic clove and basil leaves torn by hand, and season with salt.
While the tomato cooks, prepare the eggplants: remove the stem, then slice into rounds about 3/8 inch thick and then cut into cubes.
In some areas of Sicily eggplants are sliced thin and fried, but we prefer to cut them into cubes.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small pan and fry a few eggplant cubes at a time, then drain them with a slotted spoon.
Let them lose excess oil on paper towels.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of lightly salted water, leaving it al dente.
Once the pasta is cooked and the sauce is ready, drain the pasta directly into the pan with the sauce and stir to combine and season.
Serve the Pasta alla Norma on individual plates, distributing the fried eggplant on top and finishing with a grating of ricotta salata.
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