After the Sicilian Arancini and the Sicilian-Style Tuna, let’s learn how to make one of the most acclaimed Sicilian dishes. This classic Sicilian pasta dish is characterized by a unique blend of ingredients and textures. At its best, Pasta alla Norma is all about the crunchy eggplant, velvety sauce and a generous sprinkle of salty ricotta salata cheese. At its worst, you would find soggy eggplant, watery sauce and a skimpy amount of cheese. Here you will find my tips about the ingredients and methods to cook the best version of Pasta alla Norma.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
-Traditional Pasta alla Norma is a recipe that brings different flavors that comes together in harmony and will conquer everyone!
-It is a traditional Sicilian pasta dish that is made with fresh ingredients that are available in the summer season!
-It is a great dish for an al fresco dinner and it is suitable for vegetarians!
PASTA ALLA NORMA RECIPE ORIGINS
Legend has it that the name of this dish came from an exclamation by the Sicilian composer and writer Nino Martoglio when he tasted the dish. Supposedly he said “it is a Norma”, comparing the pasta to the refined perfection of the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE TRUE NORMA
To prepare Pasta alla Norma, you will need a few simple and genuine ingredients. The quality ingredients are important for all dishes, but for Pasta alla Norma it is REALLY important. It is a simple yet elegant dish in which you will taste EVERY ingredient, so you want them all to shine.
EGGPLANT
This vegetables is one of the main ingredients to prepare the authentic Pasta alla Norma. In this recipe, the eggplant is fried – not the lightest option, but it is definitely the way to go if you want to prepare Pasta alla Norma the Sicilian way. I will share in the preparation section my tips about the best way to fry the eggplant. One last important thing: never grill the eggplant, because if you do that then the dish cannot be called Pasta alla Norma. Ideally, for a lighter version you could roast the eggplants , but they will not be as crunchy, which is the special touch of this recipe.
TOMATOES
The tomatoes are cooked until they form a sauce to serve as the base for Pasta alla Norma. The best quality are tomatoes with pulpy meat, like Roma or Plum. Since the tomato sauce has a bit of acidity, it helps to balance the meatiness of the fried eggplant with the saltiness of the cheese. Alternatively you can use my Authentic Italian Homemade Tomato Sauce , for an amount equivalent to 2 cups.
SALTED RICOTTA
To garnish Pasta alla Norma, you will need Salted Ricotta cheese, which adds a distinctive touch to this dish. Salted Ricotta cheese is a dry Sicilian cheese made from sheep’s milk. It is salted and aged for a period of 30-90 days, as compared to classic ricotta which is fresh and has a slightly sweet taste. The most popular use of Salted Ricotta it on Pasta alla Norma, though it is also shaved over grilled vegetables or salads. Ricotta salata is available in specialty stores, you can sub it with Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese,
PASTA
In considering the perfect pasta for this dish, it is best enjoyed with rigatoni, a tube-shaped pasta that is between 1-1.5 inches long. Rigatoni has ridges on the outside, making it ideal to collect the sauce. This is the best shape to use in the preparation of Pasta alla Norma because its shape helps to bind the sauce and the cheese together, making every bite richer. You could sub it with any other Italian variety of short pasta that you have handy – fusilli, mezzi rigatoni or penne would be good as well.
BASIL
Let’s not forget the fresh basil. You will need it for the tomato sauce and you will need some fresh basil leaves for the final garnish.
HOW TO MAKE ORIGINAL PASTA ALLA NORMA RECIPE
Start by cutting the eggplant in slices, placing them in a colander, covering them with rock salt and leaving them for 30 minutes to allow them to lose the water. Pat them dry and cut them in 1-inch cubes.
In the mean time, add the garlic, basil and tomatoes to a pot with olive oil on medium-low heat. Cook until the tomatoes are soft. Transfer the sauce into a sieve and extract the pulp only. Bring it to simmer for 15 more minutes, adding a bit of olive oil. Using the pulp only and passing it through a sieve will make your sauce creamy and velvety. Alternatively, you can use a ready-made tomato sauce, which will decrease your total time by roughly one hour. You will need to warm it up with some garlic, olive oil and fresh basil.
Now we need to fry the eggplant cubes. There are 2 ways to fry the eggplant: you can simply fry them in extra-virgin olive oil until golden brown, or you can coat them in flour and then fry them. In the first method, you will need to place the fried eggplant on paper towels to remove the excess oil. You will also need to change the paper towels a few times in order to remove enough oil. If you don’t, your fried eggplant will be soggy and there will be too much oil in the dish. In the second method, you will need to let the fried eggplant rest on kitchen paper only once.
There are several theories about the “real” way to fry the eggplant for a true Sicilian Pasta alla Norma. I must confess that I do not know which one is “authentic”. I prefer to coat the eggplant in flour before frying, as it keeps the eggplant crunchier and accentuates the different textures of the dish.
Cook the pasta according to package directions in salted boiling water until al dente. When the pasta is ready, drain it in a colander and then add it to the sauce. Add the fried eggplant, toss it and serve it in plates. Sprinkle some ricotta cheese, add a bit of olive oil and a few basil leaves.
MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR YOU
CLASSIC ITALIAN TOMATO BRUSCHETTA
ITALIAN ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
CHERRY TOMATO PASTA WITH CAPERS & CRISPY BREADCRUMBS
TRADITIONAL EGGPLANT PARMESAN (PARMIGIANA DI MELANZANE)
END OF SUMMER FARRO SALAD
Pasta alla Norma substitutions
Pasta alla Norma is great for vegetarians.
If you want to make it gluten-free, substitute the pasta with a gluten-free version. Use as well a gluten-free flour to bread the eggplant.
If you want to make this dish vegan, add some vegan cheese instead of the salted ricotta cheese.
What to serve with Pasta alla Norma
This eggplant pasta Pasta alla Norma is great accompanies by a salad or side dish. Consider also to make some classic tomato bruschetta for a lighter appetizer or a raw zucchini salad.
Which wine to pair with Pasta alla Norma
Pasta alla Norma pairs perfectly with a full or medium-bodied wine that will enhance the rich combination of flavors and textures of this Sicilian dish.
My top recommendation to pair with this dish is a Nero d’Avola, from Sicily. This wine has enough boldness to not be overpowered by the tomato sauce and, at the same time, has enough acidity to pair elegantly with the fried eggplant, tomato sauce and salted ricotta.
Ingredients
For the Tomato Sauce
- 4 cup tomatoes roma or plum (see notes)
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 sprig basil
- 2 cloves garlic whole
For the eggplant
- 5 cup eggplant diced (see notes)
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp rock salt
- ½ cup flour
For the Pasta
- 12 oz pasta uncooked (see notes)
For the topping
- 8 tbsp ricotta salted
- 4 tsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp basil
Instructions
- Start by cutting the eggplant by the lenght in slices of 1/4 inch thickness.
- Place them in a colander and cover each slice with rock salt. Let them drain for 30 minutes.
- Pat the eggplant dry and cut them in cubes.
- In the mean time, put some olive oil and the garlic in a pot, add the coarsely chopped tomatoes and the basil. Cook it until the tomatoes are soft. Pass the sauce into a sieve and extract the pulp. Return it to the pot, add a bit of oilve oil and salt, let it simmer for 15 min utes.
- Heat the water to boil the pasta and add salt. When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook accordingly to the packaging instructions.
- Heat some EVOO oil in a frying pan. Coat the eggplant cubes in flour and, when the oil is hot, fry the eggplants until golden brown. Let them rest over some paper towel and sprinkle them with a bit of salt.
- When the pasta is al dente, add some cold running water and throw it in a colander. Add it to the tomato sauce pot.
- Serve it in individual plate, place on top the fried eggplants, the salted ricotta, some fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- I recommend Roma or Plum variety as they have pulpy meat, resulting in a sauce that is compact and not watery.
- For this recipe I chose to coat the eggplant in flour, before frying them, in order to obtain a crunchier texture.
- For this pasta, use Rigatoni shape.
- Always add salt to the water before boiling, regardless of the sauce you will put on your pasta.
- Once you switch off the stove, quickly take the pot to your sink and add a bit of cold running water to stop the cooking – this will ensure your pasta is “al dente” (firm to the tooth).
Nutrition
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