Pasta alla “Norma” is a classic Sicilian pasta dish. Legend has it that this recipe was created as a tribute to the opera “Norma” by the 19th century Sicilian composer Vincenzo Bellini.
Probably the most common pasta shape to use when making pasta alla “Norma” is spaghetti, but short pasta is even more popular in Sicily and, according to some sources, the original. “Maccheroni”, a dry and egg-less pasta is used typically in Sicily and it consists of short length, ridged, slightly curved, tubes that go well with chunky sauces like this. It is hard to find outside Italy, so a close substitute is small rigatoni or ziti.
If you cannot find Ricotta Salata, regular Ricotta and some grated Pecorino Romano is an acceptable substitute, although Sicilians will no doubt object to this substitution!
Pasta with Spicy Tomatoes, Creamy Eggplant & Ricotta Cheese
(Pasta alla “Norma”)
(serves 6)
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ med. red onion, diced
- 4 lrg. garlic cloves, minced
- 2 med. firm eggplants (about 1½ lbs.)
- 1 28 oz. can of Italian plum tomatoes
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- — pinch red pepper flakes, to taste
- — — salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lb. small rigatoni or ziti pasta
- 1 cup Ricotta Salata, coarsely grated
- (or ½ cup full fat Ricotta cheese and ½ cup Pecorino Romano)
- Trim the stems from the eggplant. Peel the eggplant in alternating strips about 1” wide, leaving about half the peel on the eggplant and half off. Slice the eggplants ⅔” thick and then cut the slices into ⅔” cubes.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the eggplant in batches, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, shaking the pan and stirring regularly until nicely browned and soft. Remove to a plate; do not drain on paper towels. To the same pan, add some more olive oil if necessary and cook the onion and the garlic until lightly brown. Next, crush the tomatoes and add them with their liquid to the skillet. Add the basil, the oregano, the red pepper flakes and some salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return the cooked eggplant to the skillet, cover and keep warm.
- While the sauce cooks, bring a large pot full of water to boil and then add 2 tablespoons of salt.
- Cook the pasta al dente. Drain it well and reserve some of the cooking water. Pour the hot pasta into the skillet with the eggplant and tomato sauce. Add the cheese and heat through. You want the Ricotta to warm, but you do not want it to blend completely with the sauce. If your pasta sauce looks a little dry, add some of your reserved hot cooking water and mix well.
- Garnish with some extra basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and an extra sprinkle of Pecorino cheese and serve in warmed bowls.
My hudband loves pasta alla norma ???