Recipe

Pasta alla Norma with Fried Eggplant and Ricotta Salata

Cook Sicilian pasta alla Norma with fried eggplant, tomato, basil and ricotta salata. Includes frying guidance and tips for a sauce that coats the pasta.

Pasta alla Norma with Fried Eggplant and Ricotta Salata
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Ingredients

  • 350 g dried rigatoni
  • 500 g eggplant, cut into 1 cm cubes
  • 700 g tomato passata
  • 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 100 g ricotta salata, finely grated
  • 12 fresh basil leaves
  • 500 ml sunflower oil for frying; most remains in the pan
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt for sauce, plus 1 tablespoon for 3 litres pasta water

Instructions

  1. Pat the eggplant dry. Set a rack over a tray for draining and place it away from the burner. Use a deep, heavy pan that can hold the frying oil without being more than one-third full.
  2. Warm olive oil and garlic in a saucepan over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add passata and the sauce salt. Simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally; remove the garlic.
  3. Heat the frying oil to 350°F / 175°C. Lower eggplant into it in three or four small batches. Fry for about 4–6 minutes per batch until golden and tender. Lift onto the rack; let the oil return to temperature between batches. Never add wet vegetables to hot oil.
  4. Bring the pasta water to a boil, add its salt and cook rigatoni until just tender with a firm center, following the packet timing. Before draining, reserve 240 ml cooking water.
  5. Toss pasta with tomato sauce over low heat. Add cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time only as needed for a loose coating. Fold in two-thirds of the eggplant and half the basil.
  6. Divide into four bowls. Top with remaining eggplant, ricotta salata and torn basil. Serve immediately; keep the cheese as a finishing ingredient rather than boiling it into the sauce.

Pasta alla Norma is associated with Catania in Sicily. Its recognizable combination is fried eggplant, tomato, basil and salty grated ricotta. This garlic-based version keeps that combination intact; it is not an oven-roasted eggplant adaptation.

What makes this Norma?

Use firm, grateable ricotta salata, not creamy fresh ricotta. Roasting the eggplant is a useful alternative, but changes the characteristic fried texture.

Avoid greasy eggplant

Dry the pieces and maintain the oil temperature. Overcrowding cools the oil and makes the cooking uneven. Use a thermometer, and never leave frying oil unattended.

Leftovers

Refrigerate promptly in a shallow covered container. Use within 3 days and reheat thoroughly with a splash of water. Store extra grated cheese separately.

Questions before cooking

Can I use spaghetti?

Yes. Pasta shapes vary; the eggplant, tomato, basil and ricotta salata are the important combination.

Is it vegetarian?

Check whether the cheese uses animal or vegetarian rennet before serving it to a vegetarian.

Recipe and nutrition notes

This documented traditional-style preparation has not been kitchen-tested by Carolina Cooking. Nutrition is an approximate editorial estimate per stated serving, not an independently verified nutrient calculation. Ingredient brands, portions and cooking losses change the values.

Includes an assumed 40 g frying-oil absorption for the whole recipe; actual absorption and salt uptake vary.

Allergens: Wheat; Milk. Check packaged ingredient labels.

Traditional preparation reference: lacucinaitaliana.it. Instructions and explanatory text are written for Carolina Cooking; the reference is not an endorsement.

Representative stock photograph; presentation can vary. This is not a photograph of a Carolina Cooking test cook.

Per serving

Nutrition facts

Serving size: 1/4 of the stated recipe (estimated)

Calories
590
Total fat
23 g
Saturated fat
6 g
Cholesterol
25 mg
Sodium
680 mg
Total carbohydrate
78 g
Dietary fiber
8 g
Total sugars
12 g
Protein
19 g

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