Eggplant is my favorite fruit, and come August I like to use them in everything from appetizers to desserts. This classic dish is a family favorite that is as fun as it is to prepare as it is delicious to eat. The name of the recipe is a tribute to the opera “Norma” by Vincenzo Bellini.
It is said that when playwright Nino Martoglio first tasted the culinary masterpiece in Sicily, he exclaimed “Chista è 'na vera Norma” (“This is a true Norma!”), and since then the term “alla Norma” has been used to describe things done well all over the Mediterranean’s largest island.
TIP: If you already have extra Fresh Tomato Sauce (see the recipe in this chapter) on hand, you can add the fried eggplant and Pecorino cheese to a full recipe’s worth of it and make this traditional sauce in even less time. This sauce is typically served with penne, fusilli, ziti, or rigatoni pasta.
*Recipe from Italian Recipes For Dummies by Amy Riolo.
Sugo alla norma/Sicilian Tomato and Eggplant Sauce
PREP TIME: 5 MIN
COOK TIME: 30 MIN PLUS 1 HOUR TO SALT THE EGGPLANT
YIELD: 6 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
* 1 large eggplant, sliced in 1/4-inch-thick rounds
* 4 tablespoons unrefined sea salt, plus extra to taste
* 11/4 cups extra virgin olive oil, divided
* 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
* 1 box or bottle (26-ounces) strained tomatoes or tomato puree or equivalent fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (see Fresh Tomato Sauce recipe earlier in this chapter for instructions)
* Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
* 6 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
* Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
* 1/2 cup Pecorino Siciliano or Romano cheese, freshly grated, divided
* 1 cup ricotta salata cheese, grated, if desired, for serving
DIRECTIONS
VARY IT!
To save on calories and time, you could skip the salting of the eggplant and simply brush the rounds with EVOO and grill them or put them under the broiler for a few minutes on each side until golden and then proceed with the rest of the recipe. Leftover grilled zucchini and roasted peppers also taste great in place of eggplant.