Pasta alla Norma Recipe – Cookie and Kate

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We’re going again to Sicily! Pasta alla Norma is a scrumptious Sicilian pasta dish with eggplant, marinara and basil. I’m excited to introduce you to this dish as a result of it’s a utterly satisfying vegetarian dinner. In case you take pleasure in eggplant Parmesan, you’re going to like pasta alla Norma. I’m craving a bowl as I kind.

Most pasta alla Norma recipes are made with fried eggplant, however this recipe options roasted eggplant. Eggplant actually absorbs oil like a sponge, so this lightens up the dish. One other plus? Roasting eggplant is less complicated and fewer messy.

I additional lightened this traditional recipe through the use of extra eggplant and fewer pasta, so this dish received’t put you to sleep. It’s good and saucy, simply the way in which I prefer it.

I don’t converse Italian, so I first assumed that “norma” meant eggplant. Not the case! Norma is capitalized as a result of she’s a girl. Or an opera, relying on the way you take a look at it.

Right here’s the backstory: Pasta alla Norma comes from Catania, a metropolis on the jap coast of Sicily. Catania is the hometown of Vincenzo Bellini, an Italian opera composer who lived within the early 1800s. Certainly one of Bellini’s most well-known operas, Norma, is known as after its lead character.

Folklore has it that playwright Nino Martoglio, after his first chew of this pasta dish, exclaimed, “Chista è ‘na vera Norma!” (“It is a true Norma!”) That’s fairly a praise.

Watch Learn how to Make Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma Elements

Pasta alla Norma is proof that straightforward components can yield spectacular outcomes. This traditional Italian dish is particularly applicable in late summer time or early fall when eggplant is in season. It’s so hearty that I’ll be having fun with it by the winter.

Marinara Sauce

You actually can’t beat my Tremendous Easy Marinara Sauce, which comes along with minimal fuss. It’ll be prepared across the time the eggplant is completed roasting, and yields precisely the quantity of sauce you’ll want for this dish (two cups). In case you’d wish to simplify the recipe, you could possibly use a superb store-bought marinara. My favourite is Rao’s.

Eggplant

Search for two medium eggplants with agency, shiny pores and skin and no bruises. They need to really feel heavy for his or her measurement. We received’t hassle salting the eggplant earlier than roasting—it’s really pointless with fashionable eggplants.

Further-Virgin Olive Oil

Any high quality extra-virgin olive oil will do. Use an Italian selection if you wish to be as genuine as doable.

Pasta

Use rigatoni, ziti, spaghetti, or any pasta alongside these strains. You’ll see rigatoni in these pictures, however I’ve additionally actually loved spaghetti.

Contemporary Basil

Basil livens up this saucy meal. We’ll use a reasonably beneficiant quantity, about 1/2 cup or a complete small store-bought container. It’s value it.

A Few Primary Spices

Freshly floor black pepper, dried oregano and pink pepper flakes spherical out the flavors on this dish. In case you’re delicate to spice, go mild on the pink pepper flakes or omit them solely.

Cheese

True pasta alla Norma is made with aged ricotta salata, which is tough to seek out in the US. For one thing pretty related, attempt equal elements store-bought ricotta salata and Parmesan. Different options I’ve discovered on-line embrace Grana Padano or mature Pecorino Romano (with or with out some crumbled feta). All that stated, I don’t suppose you could possibly go improper with mozzarella. Some recipes additionally embrace dollops of ricotta, which might absolutely be tasty.

In case you’re following a dairy-free or vegan weight-reduction plan, I imagine you’ll nonetheless love this dish with out cheese. Or, you could possibly end your bowls with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan and even perhaps a dollop of vegan bitter cream rather than ricotta.

Learn how to Make Pasta alla Norma

This recipe is straightforward sufficient to tug off on a weeknight in the event you begin an hour earlier than dinnertime. It requires a number of easy elements and also you’ll get the grasp of it shortly. Pour your self a glass of Italian pink wine, maybe a Sangiovese, and profit from it!

You’ll discover the complete recipe beneath, however right here’s the gist:

1) Begin the marinara sauce.

That’s, assuming you’re going the selfmade route. You actually received’t imagine how shortly my marinara comes collectively!

2) Put together and roast the eggplant.

We’re going to comply with Ottolenghi’s lead right here and use a vegetable peeler to shave off strips of eggplant peel to make it look reasonably zebra-like. This manner, you continue to get a few of the good texture of the eggplant pores and skin, however you don’t find yourself with distracting lengthy strips of it in your completed dish (the eggplant tends to crumble within the sauce, in a great way). Then, we’ll slice the eggplant into rounds, brush them with oil, and roast them till deeply golden.

3) Prepare dinner the pasta in salted water.

Salting the water infuses your pasta with extra taste. Attempt to bear in mind to order a few of the pasta cooking water earlier than draining it—the starch within the water helps unite the sauce with the pasta. I sometimes scoop some right into a Pyrex glass measuring cup simply earlier than draining. (In case you overlook, as I typically do, no worries.)

4) Stir all of it collectively.

That is after we add the recent basil, a lot of the cheese (reserve some for garnish), and a few spices. Add salt to style, and your meal is able to serve. Buon appetito.

Extra Eggplant Recipes to Take pleasure in

As all the time, please let me understand how your pasta alla Norma seems within the feedback! I like listening to from you. In case you’re hungry for extra pasta dishes, I’ve obtained you coated.

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