Before you cook
Background Recipe story & origin
Pasta alla Norma represents Sicily's Arab-influenced eggplant traditions and the Italian practice of naming dishes for cultural achievements. Pasta alla Norma is Sicily's signature pasta, created in Catania to honor the opera 'Norma' by Vincenzo Bellini (born in Catania, 1801). According to legend, playwright Nino Martoglio declared a plate of the pasta so good it was 'una Norma.' (a masterpiece, like the opera). The dish combines fried eggplant, tomato sauce, basil, and ricotta salata (salted, aged ricotta). Proper preparation fries eggplant until golden (some salt and drain first to remove bitterness), makes a simple tomato-basil sauce, and finishes with grated ricotta salata. The combination of sweet tomato, rich eggplant, salty cheese, and fresh basil exemplifies Sicilian flavor profiles.
Before you start Equipment you'll need
- large skillet — Provides controlled heat for cooking pasta with guanciale until sauce becomes creamy and emulsified
Ingredients
Instructions
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Fry the eggplant
Salt eggplant, drain 20 minutes. Fry in olive oil until golden. Drain.
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Make the sauce
Sauté garlic in remaining oil. Add crushed tomatoes. Simmer 15 minutes. Add half the basil.
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Combine the ingredients
Toss cooked pasta with sauce and eggplant. Top with ricotta salata and remaining basil.