The real recipe for pasta alla norma as in Sicily

Easy and delicious, this pasta alla norma is one of the star recipes of the new book Nostra cucina Siciliana by Giuseppe Messina.

Crispy arancini, cauliflower fritters, pasta with sea urchins, beef stew… Chef Guiseppe Messina (chef owner of Non Solo Cucina, Non Solo Pizze and Pane e Olio restaurants in Paris) is dedicating a new book, published by First, to his native Sicily. The opportunity to discover a preview of the recipe for pasta with sea urchins.

The recipe for pasta alla norma by Guiseppe Messina

Giuseppe Messina. “When I opened my first restaurant in Paris in 2000 with my brother, Les Amis des Messina, I was surprised to find that customers, young and old, loved this simple dish made with Sicilian eggplant and ricotta. salty. This specialty of the city of Catania is indeed a masterpiece of Sicilian gastronomy that pays homage to a masterpiece by a great composer, Vincenzo Bellini, a native of Catania and composer of Norma.”

For 4 people
Preparation: 35 mins
Rest: 30 mins
Cooking: 1 hour

Pasta alla norma Ingredients

-450 g of rigatoni or penne
-2 large round eggplants from Sicily
-1 kg of peeled tomatoes
-1 onion
-1 clove of garlic
-10 basil leaves
-200 g of salted ricotta
-½ glass of extra-virgin olive oil
-1 liter of frying oil
-1 pinch of sugar
-1 C. at s. coarse salt
-Salt and pepper

Pasta alla norma recipe: Preparation

Cut the aubergines into slices 4 millimeters thick then put them in a colander, sprinkle them with coarse salt and let them drain for 30 minutes. Cover them by placing them under a weight so that they eliminate their water. Prepare the sauce: in a casserole dish, heat some olive oil, chop the onion, brown it with the slightly crushed garlic clove, then add the peeled tomatoes and the basil. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 30 minutes until the sauce thickens. Pass the sauce through a grinder and add a drizzle of olive oil. Book. In a skillet, fry the eggplants in olive oil. Let them drain and pat them dry with paper towel. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water and take it out al dente. Save some cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce. Mix and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, adding pasta cooking water if necessary. Add the eggplants and mix. Serve sprinkled with salted ricotta and a few basil leaves.