Recipe
Pasta alla Norma
Legend says a Sicilian writer once watched his friend eat this pasta and shouted chista è 'na vera Norma!, a true Norma, in honor of the Bellini opera. Whether the story is real or something invented by the Catania tourist board, the aubergines are excellent either way, and any dish that shares a name with an opera deserves at least one respectful attempt.
Our first Norma was not respectful. We were twenty, on a road trip through Sicily with two friends, and we had volunteered to cook dinner at the Airbnb because we had read about the dish the day before and felt ambitious. We filled the kitchen with so much frying-oil smoke that the fire alarm went off, which triggered the neighbour's dog, which triggered the neighbour, who came over in a dressing gown to find three stunned young men, a pan of blackened aubergine, and the smell of Italian failure. He took one look, said ragazzi, datemi la padella, and proceeded to remake the whole dish for us while drinking our wine and complaining about the pan we had bought. We ate his Norma at 11pm on the balcony and didn't stop talking about it for the rest of the trip.
What follows is our version, informed by that lesson and the ten years of reattempts since. The aubergines need space in the pan or they steam instead of frying, they need to be patted dry before going in, and they need to be deep golden before you even think about calling them done. Get those three things right and the rest is a tomato sauce. Traditional Norma uses ricotta salata, which is hard to find outside Italy; pecorino or parmigiano step in without drama. You will do better than us the first time. Probably.
- Prep 10 min
- Cook 20 min
- Serves 2
- Cost €
Method
- 1
Cube the aubergine, toss with a good pinch of salt in a colander, and let it sit while you start the sauce. This draws out bitter water.
2 min
- 2
Warm 2 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, let it perfume the oil without browning, then pour in the tomatoes.
2 min
- 3
Add half the basil, a pinch of salt, and simmer gently for 15 minutes until thickened.
15 min
- 4
Meanwhile, pat the aubergine dry with a clean tea towel. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the aubergine until deep golden on all sides.
10 min
- 5
Bring a pot of well-salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente.
10 min
- 6
Fish the garlic cloves out of the sauce. Fold the fried aubergine into the tomato sauce.
1 min
- 7
Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of pasta water. Tip the pasta into the sauce with a splash of the pasta water and toss until coated.
1 min
- 8
Serve in warm bowls with a shower of grated pecorino, the rest of the basil, and a crack of pepper.
1 min
Variations
Traditional Norma uses ricotta salata, which isn't easy to find outside Italy. Pecorino or parmigiano are good stand-ins. If you find it, use 40 g ricotta salata grated over the top at the table. For a lighter version, roast the aubergine cubes at 220°C for 20 minutes instead of frying; they'll be less silky but still delicious. A spoon of capers stirred into the sauce is not traditional, but it's very good.