Pasta alla Norma is a first course of Sicilian origin, a specialty of Catania. It is a homage to the most beautiful work of the famous composer from Catania Vincenzo Bellini, called Norma.

According to a thesis, the words “the Norm”, derive exactly, from the compliments accorded to the female cook of this dish, who was defined as Norma, compared to the most influential masterpiece of Bellini.

Pasta alla Norma

Ingredients:

500 gr of peeled tomatoes
400 gr of spaghetti pasta
2 eggplants
200 gr of salted ricotta cheese
2 cloves garlic
12 basil leaves
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Pepper
Cooking salt

Preparation:

Wash the eggplants (1) and cut into slices of 4 mm vertically (2), cut even a few slices horizontally that will be used to garnish the dish at the end. Put them in a colander gradually sprinkling of cooking salt (3), then cover with a plate and arrange on top of them a weight (4): so let them drain for at least an hour.

Prepare the tomato sauce in a pan, putting the garlic to brown with olive oil (5) and add the peeled tomatoes (6).

Cook over a low heat until they’re crushed (7), then sieve them (8) and add all on fire to thicken; once off the heat, add half of the fresh basil leaves (9).

Rinse eggplants under cold running water (10), then dry them with a clean dishcloth (11) and then fry in olive oil that must be hot but not boiling, until brown them (12).

Put the eggplants on paper towels (13) to lose the excess oil . Then boil the pasta in salted water (14) and grate roughly the ricotta cheese (15), putting it aside.

While pasta cooks, cut into strips the fried eggplants (16) (leave the longest slices that will serve to decorate the plates). Put the strips of eggplants in a pan with a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce (17) and when the pasta is just slightly firm, drain and add to sauce in the pan (18); let it blow out for one minute, then put on a dish and cover with the remaining tomato sauce, some whole slices of eggplant, grated ricotta cheese , and the remaining fresh basil leaves.

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