Pasta alla Norma
Local name : Pasta alla Norma
Catania's pride, fried aubergines, a basil-scented tomato sauce and a shower of grated salted ricotta.
Photo : Paoletta S. · CC BY 2.0
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
Method
- Cut the aubergines into 1 cm slices. Salt them and leave for 30 minutes, then pat dry.
- Fry the slices in a shallow layer of hot oil until golden on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper.
- In a wide pan, gently colour the garlic in 3 tbsp oil. Add the crushed tomatoes and half the basil. Simmer for 20 minutes, season.
- Cook the pasta al dente in a large pan of salted water. Drain, keeping a ladle of cooking water.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce and a splash of cooking water. Add two thirds of the aubergines, roughly chopped.
- Serve with the remaining aubergines on top, the rest of the basil and a generous grating of ricotta salata.
Ricotta salata is a pressed, salted ricotta with a dry texture. If you cannot find it, pecorino romano or well-drained feta will do the job.
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