Pasta alla Norma
Sicilian aubergine and tomato pasta finished with salty ricotta salata.
Pasta alla Norma is Sicilian: fried aubergine and tomato, finished with grated ricotta salata rather than parmesan. The aubergine is salted before it is fried, which is the step most versions skip and the reason theirs come out oily. Everything else is a plain tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 aubergines, cubed
- 400g tinned tomatoes
- 320g rigatoni
- 1 garlic clove
- Basil
- Ricotta salata
- Olive oil, salt
Method
- 1
Salt the aubergine for 20 minutes, pat dry, then fry in olive oil until deep gold.
- 2
Simmer tomatoes with garlic and salt for 20 minutes.
- 3
Cook the pasta and drain, keeping a cup of water.
- 4
Toss pasta, sauce and most of the aubergine together.
- 5
Top with the rest of the aubergine, torn basil and grated ricotta salata.
Aubergines are cheapest in late summer — buy heavy, glossy ones at market close.
The same weeknight pasta decision
- Cacio e Pepe — When you want it lighter and faster.
- Pasta e Ceci — The cheaper pot from the same repertoire.
The Trattoria Trail
The free recipes teach you six dishes. The guide teaches you the menu, the labels and the vocabulary around them, so you can read an Italian table and an Italian shelf without guessing.
How Italian menus, labels and everyday eating actually work — with six recipes to cook at home.
- Six Italian recipes with metric and US measures
- How a trattoria menu is structured, course by course
- What DOP, IGP and STG labels actually guarantee
- Market and supermarket label intelligence
Travelling more widely? The Complete European Table holds all seven expanded guides — 495 pages across 7 guides, one-time purchase.
Get all 7 guides — $29.99Cooking this way every week? Read our free guide to the Mediterranean diet on a budget.