Name: Pasta alla Norma
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 400 g rigatoni; 2 medium eggplant, cut into 2cm cubes; 500 ml neutral oil, for frying; 2 cloves garlic, sliced; 500 g canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand; 1 bunch fresh basil, torn, plus more to serve; 100 g ricotta salata, grated, plus more to serve; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; fine salt, to taste

Named for Bellini's opera, pasta alla Norma is Catania's way of making fried eggplant into a main course: cubed and fried until golden, folded through a quick tomato sauce, and finished with ricotta salata, the dry salted ricotta grated like a hard cheese, not the soft fresh kind.

Salting the eggplant and letting it sit draws out bitterness and excess water, which is what keeps the fried cubes from turning soggy once they meet the sauce.

Pasta alla Norma is one of the twenty most famous Italian foods.

method

Salt the eggplant cubes and leave them in a colander for 20 minutes to draw out moisture, then pat dry.

Fry the eggplant in batches in hot oil until deep golden all over. Drain on paper towels and salt lightly.

Warm the olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and simmer 15 minutes, seasoning with salt.

Cook the rigatoni in salted water until al dente. Reserve some pasta water, then drain.

Fold the pasta, most of the fried eggplant and torn basil through the tomato sauce, loosening with pasta water if needed.

Plate, scatter the remaining eggplant and ricotta salata on top, and finish with more basil.

chef's tips

Salt and drain the eggplant properly; skipping this step is the most common reason it turns bitter and soggy.
Ricotta salata is dry and salty, nothing like fresh ricotta; do not substitute the soft version.
Fry in batches without crowding the pan, or the eggplant steams instead of browning.