This is one of my all-time favorite recipes.
First, a little history: Pasta alla Norma was born in Catania, in sunny and beautiful Sicily, were the past, present, and future melt together in a colorful and fragrant pot.
It was named after Vincenzo Bellini’s opera “Norma”, Bellini being also born in Catania.
Well, the story says that Nino Martoglio, a famous catanese writer and poet being once “confronted” with this wonderful dish said: “this pasta is a Norma“ a word synonymous with perfection.
Pasta alla Norma is a typical Sicilian dish, using aubergines, ubiquitous on almost every plate, sweet and ripe tomatoes, ricotta salata, made of ewe’s milk, lots of fresh basil, home made olive oil and spaghetti.
Many say the original pasta should be maccheroni …well, you can use whatever you like.
My personal belief is that, the dish originated in Calatabiano as “Cataneselle alla Calatabianese”, but in a simpler form, without tomatoes and basil, and the aubergines are not fried/grilled. It has been then improved by adding grilled aubergines, tomatoes and lots of basil.
If you will ever go to Taormina, or Mount Etna area pay a visit to the legendary nearby Hotel Castello di San Marco in Calatbiano and try the Cataneselle (local pasta shape) at the small beach trattoria only 60 – 70 m away.
Afterwards you can try the pasta alla Norma somewhere else, or make your own following this recipe:
quantities are for 4 persons
500 grams of spaghetti (use Italian made: Voiello, DeCecco, Latini)
2 large, ripe aubergines (melanzane)
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 cans of plum tomatoes
ricotta salata (can be replaced with either pecorino or parmigiano)
extravirgin olive oil
10 – 15 fresh basil leaves
some oregano
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Trim off the ends of aubergines. Cut one, lengthwise, in 5 mm thick slices and dice the other in small cubes (of 1cm approximately).
Place them in a bowl with salted water for 30 minutes, drain, wash them and pat dry.
Fry the slices in very hot olive oil until golden brown on both sides, place them on absorbent paper and sprinkle with oregano, The oregano will give them a wonderful flavor, cover them with aluminum foil and set aside.
It’s now time to boil the pasta.
Meanwhile fry the cubed aubergines in 2 table spoons of hot olive oil. Do not worry if the oil will “vanish” …the aubergines tend to absorb the oil but release it at the end, so do not add extra oil.
When aubergines are almost ready – slightly golden brown, add the chopped onion and when it turns glassy add the diced tomatoes. Stir and let bubble for 10 minutes. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, stir again and add the basil leaves. Turn off the heat.
Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce and mix well.
Serve on “laaaaaarge” pasta plates with slices of grilled aubergines, grated ricotta and some basil leaves on top.
There is an array of wines the nicely match this dish, both whites and reds, but I would recomend a Nero d’Avola Settesoli, a masterpiece of legendary Diego Planeta.
