Spaghetti Alla Norma
Updated May 31, 2023
- Total Time
- 40 minutes, plus 2 hours salting
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2medium eggplants, about 12 ounces each, cut in 1-inch cubes
- Salt
- ⅔cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2pounds ripe plum tomatoes, very finely chopped
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- ¼cup basil leaves, torn
- 1pound spaghetti
- Crushed red chile flakes, to taste
- 2ounces coarsely grated ricotta salata
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place eggplant in a colander, salt generously, set colander over a bowl and let sit at room temperature about 2 hours to draw off excess liquid. Rinse eggplant and dry on paper towels.
- Step 2
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high and sauté eggplant, in batches if necessary, until golden. Transfer to several thicknesses of paper towel. Pour off and reserve all but a fine slick of oil from the pan. Reheat pan on medium, add tomatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are reduced and their liquid has evaporated. Fold in basil.
- Step 3
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Cook until al dente. Drain, reserving about ½ cup pasta water. Add pasta to tomato sauce. Return eggplant to pan and cook on low, mixing pasta with sauce ingredients. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, season with salt and chile if desired and moisten with some pasta water if needed. Divide among plates or shallow bowls, scatter cheese on top and serve.
- A recipe last Wednesday with the Pairing column for spaghetti alla Norma incorrectly included an ingredient. The two tablespoons of oil for finishing are not necessary if the instructions for reserving the used olive oil are followed.
Private Notes
Comments
You can enjoy the lovely flavors of this recipe even if you prefer not to fry the eggplant. I toss the cubed eggplant with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (this really is enough) and roast for about 40 minutes at 425 degrees, stirring after 20 minutes. The roasted cubes may look dry but they are perfect when added to the tomato sauce. I use 1/2 teaspoon of the chili flakes in the sauce. If ricotta salata is unavailable, feta is also delicious.
You can enjoy the lovely flavors of this recipe even if you prefer not to fry the eggplant. I toss the cubed eggplant with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (this really is enough) and roast for about 40 minutes at 425 degrees, stirring after 20 minutes. The roasted cubes may look dry but they are perfect when added to the tomato sauce. I use 1/2 teaspoon of the chili flakes in the sauce. If ricotta salata is unavailable, feta is also delicious.
It is pressed, salted, and dried ricotta. Kind of like the texture of feta.
We thought this was fab, I cooked the eggplant in the oven, easier and came out fine. I added some diced onion to the tomatoes. It was really good. I also followed advice and added the eggplant to the pasta after the sauce.
No no no! Pasta alla Norma must be made with rigatoni or another pasta with a shape that can stand up to the eggplant. Never spaghetti! In Sicily where it was invented (Bellini was a native of Catania and the dish is named after his opera, Norma) it is served only with large tubular pasta. Otherwise it’s fine.
You can enjoy the lovely flavors of this recipe even if you prefer not to fry the eggplant. I toss the cubed eggplant with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (this really is enough) and roast for about 40 minutes at 425 degrees, stirring after 20 minutes. The roasted cubes may look dry but they are perfect when added to the tomato sauce. I use 1/2 teaspoon of the chili flakes in the sauce. If ricotta salata is unavailable, feta is also delicious.
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