Spaghetti alla Norma Recipe with Tomatoes and Eggplant
When I was quite little my father worked on an excavation in Sicily, and Spaghetti alla Norma, spaghetti with rich, sensual tomatoey eggplant sauce, is one of the earliest dishes I remember. The Norma in question is Vincenzo Bellini’s heroine, and the dish certainly does her justice.
- 6 medium-sized eggplants, about a pound (500 g)
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- About a pound (500 g) sun-ripened plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped.
- 6-8 basil leaves, shredded
- 1 pound (450 g) spaghetti
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino romano, salted ricotta, or Parmigiano
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Olive oil (or corn oil) for frying
PREPARATION:
Peel and slice the eggplant into half-inch (1 cm) slices, salt the slices, and let them sit in a colander for about an hour. Rinse them, pat them dry, and fry them a few pieces at a time in hot oil, turning them so both sides brown, and setting them to drain on absorbent paper.
Next, set water to boil, and while it’s heating heat 1/4 cup oil in a pot, sauté the garlic briefly, and then stir in the blanched, peeled tomatoes. Season with salt and abundant pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking the sauce figuring 15-20 minutes in all; about 5 minutes before it’s done add the shredded basil.
Keep an eye on the pasta pot while preparing the sauce, and as soon as the water boils salt it and cook the spaghetti.
Season the spaghetti with the tomato sauce and the eggplant, sprinkle it with much of the cheese, and serve it with the remaining cheese on the side. This should serve six. The wine? A Ciró Rosato or Rosso would be nice.