Pasta alla Norma - Sicilian Eggplant Pasta

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Pasta alla Norma - Sicilian Eggplant Pasta

 

1 pound spaghetti, (or any other long pasta)

3 eggplants (as fresh as possible, without any bruises)

coarse salt

flour

olive oil for frying the eggplant

tomato sauce, homemade or prepared

6 “10 basil leaves

3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata, or more to taste, (salted ricotta) which is

what makes this recipe authentic, available in the best Italian markets

 

 

 

 

 

Cut the eggplants into fine slices after cutting off the stems (if you prefer

you could also dice them up). Spread the slices in layers on a cutting board and

cover each layer with salt. Place the board at an angle in the dishrack to allow

the liquid to run directly into the sink. Cover the eggplants with a weight (for

instance a pot filled with water) and leave standing for two hours.

Meanwhile prepare the tomato sauce. Fry an onion and two cloves of garlic in 2

tablespoons of olive oil. Add a large can of tomatoes (preferably imported from

Italy) or 700 grams of diced fresh tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, salt and freshly

ground pepper. Cook for approximately 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the

sauce has thickened, pass it through a grinder (or a blender if you’re not

Italian). Pour the sauce back into the pan and reduce for another 5 minutes.

After the required time, rinse and dry the eggplant slices. Cover them lightly

in flour to prevent the vegetable from soaking up oil. Boil the water for your

pasta and warm up the tomato sauce if necessary. Meanwhile fry the eggplant

slices in hot olive oil (about 400°F/205°C) a few at a time, about two minutes

on each side. Wipe off the excess oil from the slices and keep them warm.

When the pasta is ready (al dente!), place it in a large serving bowl. First add

the cheese; mix well before adding the tomato sauce, the basil and the eggplant.

Mix and serve right away. Buon appetito!

 

Serves 4

Source: Eugenia Tesoro

Formatted by Chupa Babi: 07.10.08

 

The traditional Sicilian eggplant pasta dish was renamed Spaghetti alla Norma in

honour of Bellini, born in Catania. There are two stories to explain this name.

The first is that a Sicilian chef was so excited by Bellini’s Norma that as

soon as he got back to his kitchen he concocted this sauce where the sliced

eggplant, tomato sauce and ricotta salata (typical cheese for the region) blend

with the spaghetti. The second (and more likely) is that some of Bellini’s

compatriots, delighted by the beauty of his opera, started using the new

superlative una vera Norma (A real Norma), which was used to praise the merits

of a product or a deed. Years passed, and when the author Nino Martaglio tasted

this typical regional dish, he went into raptures about it and called it

Spaghetti alla Norma.

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