It’s easy to find all the elements of this recipe on the island of Sicily, but what makes it unique is how it has become so significant that it is often compared to one of the most popular Italian operas.
All the elements are closely connected to the city of Catania, the largest and most vibrant city in eastern Sicily.
In the last century, a composer from Catania named Vincenzo Bellini gained fame throughout Europe, particularly for his opera Norma. Following this, it became common in the local slang to refer to something made properly as “alla Norma.” This expression indicates something done “a regola d’arte,” meaning according to the rules of that art.
It is said that some important writers and actors were gathered around a table when Miss Silvia prepared something special for the occasion. After tasting the dish, the exclamation was, “Signora, this is a Norma!”
From that day forward, a recipe already present in Sicilian cooking finally received a name—one that is respected and cherished by the people.
Pasta alla Norma is a summer dish made when aubergines (also known as eggplants, melanzane, or mulingiani) are ready to be harvested. Given the strong relationship between Sicilian cuisine and this vegetable, we have previously written about its use in Parmigiana. The other ingredients are simply the most common summer produce found in Sicily.
Another important ingredient to mention is salty ricotta cheese. A traditional way to preserve this delicate cheese is by adding salt, a method that has been popular throughout the Mediterranean for centuries.
Prepared with fresh or dried pasta, Pasta alla Norma is truly a masterpiece of Sicilian culture.
Here, Annarella and Fabio share our own recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra if needed
- 1 aubergine/eggplant and cut into roughly 2cm/¾in cubes or sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 400g tin peeled tomatoes
- 200g/7oz spaghetti or any kind of short shape pasta (the sauce is very versatile)
- 10gr Basil leaves
- Salty ricotta cheese: salted, dried grated on top
Procedure
- Season the aubergine generously with salt, leave it in a colander for 30′ then wash it and dry well. Heat half the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over high heat. Then fry half of the aubergine cubes until golden brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside; repeat with the remaining oil and aubergine pieces.
- Turn the heat down to medium–low and add the garlic, along with a little more oil if needed. Cook for a minute until soft but not browned (so important!), then add the tomatoes, a pinch salt. Simmer for 15 minutes, occasionally stirring and squashing the tomatoes down with the back of a fork.
- Cook the pasta in a pan after salted water. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water.
- Add the aubergine to the tomatoes, stir and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the drained pasta and a little of the cooking water if you’d like to loosen the sauce.
- Serve with torn basil and crumbled ricotta salata on top.