Pasta alla Norma is perhaps Sicily’s most recognisable dish. To make it, you fry eggplant (sliced or cubed) in olive oil until crispy and golden brown. Then coook garlic and some good quality chopped plum tomatoes in a pan to make a sauce. Add the fried egg plant to the sauce, stir through a short pasta and then stir through a generous handful of grated Sicilian salted ricotta and freshly torn basil leaves. Summer in a bowl!
Origins and History
Pasta alla Norma comes from Catania, a vibrant city on the east coast of Sicily. But it is now cooked lovingly all over Sicily. Originally, Sicilians called it Pasta alla melanzana. Or ‘Eggplant pasta’. And the ingredients are just the simple combination of local summer ingredients. Not least the humble eggplant, which Arab traders introduced to Sicily over 1000 years ago.
But it was renamed in the 1930s as Pasta alla Norma. Not after a Sicilian Nonna called Norma. But instead after the famous opera ‘Norma’, a two-act opera performed for the first time in Milan 1831.
Disappointingly, the opera is not set in Sicily. It is set in ancient Gaul, under Roman occupation, and tells a dramatic story of love, betrayal, and political conflict. So no divas cook eggplant at any stage of the opera. No children cutely dressed as eggplants. And not so much as a druid identifying as an eggplant.
Instead, pasta alla Norma is a tribute to the opera’s composer, the renowned Vincenzo Bellini, and (importantly) a native of Catania. Sicily must be immensely proud of him, and the global success of his opera, as the name stuck. Which is perhaps fitting. As after some 190 years, this humble dish still sings an aria to the taste buds with every mouthful.
Recipe and Preparation
Pasta alla Norma is a really easy recipe. And a no fuss, mid-week staple throughout Sicily. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating this classic Sicilian dish:
- Prepare the Eggplant: Slice the eggplant into slices or cubes, sprinkle liberally with salt, and let it sit for about 30 minutes. The aubergine releases a lot of liquid, along with it a lot of bitterness.Rinse and pat dry.
- Fry the slices in olive oil until golden brown, then set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Make the Tomato Sauce: In a large pan, sauté garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Add chopped tomatoes, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the sauce thickens and the garlic has all but disappeared.
- Cook the Pasta: Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Combine and Serve: Toss the cooked pasta with the tomato sauce. Plate the pasta and top with the fried eggplant slices. Sprinkle generously with grated ricotta salata and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
Buon appetito! 🇮🇹
More Sicily Recipes
- Pollo all’Arancia – chicken braised in white wine and fresh orange juice. The Arab influence on Sicilian cooking in one dish.
- Pasta con Broccoli Arriminata – a distinctly Sicilian pasta with broccoli, anchovies, raisins and pine nuts.
- Sicilian Orange and Fennel Salad – the classic Sicilian salad of blood oranges, fennel and red onion. Simple and sharp.
How to Cook Pasta alla Norma like a Sicilian
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant (cut into cubes or slices)
- extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 800 grams tinned chopped plum tomatoes (preferably Italian)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 150 grams salted ricotta (grated)
- 1 handful Basil leaves (torn roughly into pieces)
- 500 grams rigatoni pasta
Instructions
- Salt the eggplant generously and leave stand for 30 minutes to drain it of its bitter liquid. Then rinse with cold clean water and pat dry with a paper towel.
- I a large pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil then fry the eggplant until crispy and golden brown on each side, do not allow to burn. Then set aside.
- Wipe then pan clean, then heat 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and then fry the garlic for 1-2 minutes until fragrant then add the tomatoes and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes have broken down into a nice smooth sauce.
- Meanwhile, boil a large pan of salted water and boil the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta reserving a ladleful of the pasta water.
- Add the fried aubergine and the cooked pasta to the tomato sauce and toss together. Add some of the pasta water to achieve a smooth glossy consistency.
- Serve in bowls and add generous amounts of grated salted ricotta and torn basil leaves.
