📋Pasta Alla Norma Authentic Sicilian Recipe

📋Pasta Alla Norma Authentic Sicilian Recipe

Pasta Alla Norma is a traditional Sicilian pasta recipe from the city of Catania, where eggplants are grown in the fertile soil of the Etna Vulcano. The pasta sauce is made with simple ingredients fried eggplants, tomato sauce, and basil, and sprinkled with salted ricotta. A delightful vegetarian meal perfect for a hot Summer, pasta alle melanzane.

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword pasta alla Norma, Pasta with fried aubergines, pasta with fried eggplants

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Servings people

Calories 691kcal

Author Laura Tobin

Equipment

Ingredients

2 eggplants
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups homemade tomato sauce homemade
3 leaves fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves peeled garlic cloves
4 tablespoon ricotta salata or pecorino or Parmesan
1 lb Maccheroni pasta
1 tablespoon salt for pasta

Instructions

Making the sauce

Cut the eggplants into chunks
2 eggplants
Pour ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan and bring it at a very high temperature
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Stir fry the eggplants until they are soft and brown stirring occasionally
Transfer the eggplants into a try with kitchen paper and cover with more kitchen paper to absorb all the frying oil
In the same frying pan add the chopped garlic cloves
2 cloves peeled garlic cloves
Remove the garlic once it is brown
Add the tomato sauce, salt, and the basil leaves
2 cups homemade tomato sauce, 3 leaves fresh basil leaves, 1 teaspoon salt
Let it simmer for 10 minutes
Add the eggplants and stir

Making the pasta

Bring to boil a pan full of water with a tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon salt for pasta
Once the water is boiling pour the pasta and boil for the amount of time specified on the package, minus 1 minute
1 lb Maccheroni pasta
Once ready, drain the pasta and pour over the sauce
Stir until it is all well combined
Transfer into a serving dish
Sprinkle with ricotta salata and serve
4 tablespoon ricotta salata or pecorino or Parmesan

Video

Notes

The success of this traditional Sicilian pasta dish is based on the eggplants not being too greasy. Eggplants are like sponges and will absorb all the oil, so here are some important tips:

Buy nice firm eggplants, and make sure they don't have too many seeds. If they do, throw them away, buy new ones, and restart.

You can use round or normal eggplants. I use the round as I chop the eggplants into chunks. If you want to use eggplant slices, buy regular, long slim eggplants

Many recipes call for the eggplants to be salted and pressed for 1 hour into a strainer with a weight to drain their bitter juices. I don't do that anymore, as the eggplants you buy now are no longer as bitter as they once were. It is up to you.

To fry the eggplants, it is important to use extra virgin olive oil. It adds flavor, so flavorless oils are unsuitable for this recipe.

Before you add the eggplants to the oil, make sure the oil is extremely hot. It will cook the eggplants faster, reducing the amount of oil absorbed.

Once the eggplants are cooked, lay them on top of 2 layers of kitchen paper towel and cover them with the same. Press the paper towel to ensure the paper releases and absorbs excess oil.

For a rich tomato sauce, cook the tomato sauce in the same oil that you fried the eggplants in, as it is full of flavor

For a lighter sauce, you can use roasted eggplant instead of fried

Traditionally Pasta alla Norma is made with Maccheroni rigati or Rigatoni. Short tubular pasta with stripes. This shape helps absorb the sauce and create the perfect eggplant bite. If you cannot find the Maccheroni, you can also use Penne or Ziti.
Ricotta salata is less sweet than Parmesan and slightly more bitter and acidic like the Pecorino Romano. It gives a nice contrast to the fried eggplants. If you cannot find Ricotta Salata, use Pecorino and as a last resource Parmesan.

Nutrition