The original Pizza alla Norma is topped with just a few ingredients: tomato sauce (with plenty of basil), fried eggplant and salted ricotta. No mozzarella. It is precisely this simplicity that makes it so special. It’s a pizza that smells like summer and Sicily, authentic flavors that don’t need embellishment. The eggplants, golden and tender, marry perfectly with the tomato and the intense scent of basil. Grated salted ricotta on top completes everything with its bold flavor. If you love traditional recipes, this is one to try at least once.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 3Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Autumn, All seasons
Ingredients for Pizza alla Norma
- 1 1/4 cups re-milled durum semolina (semola rimacinata di grano duro)
- 3/4 cup Type 00 wheat flour
- 3/4 cup water (about)
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh brewer's yeast
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 tsp sugar
- 2 1/8 cups peeled tomatoes
- 1/2 onion (or one clove of garlic)
- 1 eggplant
- to taste basil
- to taste salted ricotta (ricotta salata)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste peanut oil (for frying)
Preparation: PIZZA ALLA NORMA
Before you start, taste the salted ricotta; if you find it a bit saltier than usual (this can happen), be careful to season the tomato sauce with very little salt.
Place the flours (re-milled semolina and Type 00 flour) on your work surface and make a well in the center. Put the lukewarm water into the well, add the yeast (previously dissolved in a little lukewarm water), the sugar and the extra virgin olive oil; gently mix these ingredients inside the well of the flour. Start kneading and after a moment add the salt; continue working until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous dough.
Put the dough into a bowl greased with oil, cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place free of drafts (I place it inside the switched-off oven with the light on). Let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume.
Wash the eggplant, slice it and place the slices in a colander in layers, sprinkling each layer with salt. Put a plate and something heavy on top (a bottle filled with water works well). Leave them for at least 30 minutes, then rinse, dry and fry them in peanut oil. Place the fried eggplant slices on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
In a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, soften the chopped onion. Add the peeled tomatoes cut into pieces and a few basil leaves; add salt and let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Take the risen dough, place it in an oiled baking pan and stretch it with your hands (press and gently push with your fingertips), trying to cover the whole pan and creating slightly higher edges around the pizza. Cover the pan with a damp cloth and let it rise for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 428°F (220°C) (always check your oven manual for recommended temperatures for different foods).
While the oven is heating (this will take about 10 minutes), spread the tomato sauce over the pizza.
Bake for about 15 minutes on the lowest rack of the oven, then remove the pan, arrange the fried eggplant slices over the pizza and return to the oven for about 5 more minutes.
Remove from the oven, generously sprinkle the pizza with freshly grated salted ricotta and garnish with a few basil leaves. If you like, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Serve the Pizza alla Norma hot.
