Pasta alla Norma Recipe (Pasta with Eggplant and Salty Ricotta Cheese)

 

I have had the opportunity to visit twice already the region of Catania in Sicily, where this dish pasta alla norma is originary. It is a delicious dish of pasta with eggplant, tomato sauce, fresh basil and salty ricotta. The latter is also a product from Catania. One story tells that the name of this dish was given by a Catanian comedian who allways said “É la norma” (the standard) regarding this preparation. The last time I ate this pasta was in the very city of Catania, and it was one of my best Italian dining experiences. We had lunch in a small Italian trattoria run by a mother and her daughter who treated us wonderfully and everything was delightful.

Pasta alla Norma Recipe (Pasta with Eggplant and Salty Ricotta Cheese)

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Serves: 4 Time: 1 h Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 400 g of pasta (macaroni, pennw or spaghetti)
• 1 large eggplant
• 1 kg of ripe tomatoes or 800 g of canned tomatoes
• Fresh basil leaves, to taste
• 150 g salted ricotta
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil or frying oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. Wash the eggplant throughly, remove the stem and cut into chunks or slices.
2. Season with salt and let stand for half an hour in a colander to allow it to lose the water which makes its bitter.
3. Prepare tomato sauce flavored with basil:
   1. Wash the tomatoes, remove the stalk and cut into pieces.
   2. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat and reduce the tomatoes for half an hour with a few basil leaves and a teaspoon of sugar.
   3. Sift tomato sauce with a food mill. Salt and pepper. Heat on low heat to reduce a little more.
   4. Finally, sprinkle some more chopped basil leaves and set aside.
4. Heat a deep fryer a lot of olive oil over medium heat.
5. Dry the eggplant and deep fry when the oil is hot until they are golden. Set aside on paper towels.
6. Cook pasta al dente according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Reserve a little of the cooking water.
7. Quickly mix the pasta with eggplant, tomato sauce (which has to be hot) and a dash cooking water.
8. It is done. Serve immediately. At the table, sprinkle generously with  grated salty ricotta.

Hints, Tips, and Tricks

• You can make a lighter version of pasta alla norma by roasting the eggplant in the oven with a drizzle of oil, instead of frying it.

 

Categories: pasta recipe

Tags: berenjena pasta ricotta tomate