La Pasta – Pasta alla Norma – Video Recipe

All Recipes
SERVES 4

Ingredients

  • 2 x medium Aubergine chopped into 1/2cm cubes
  • 15g x Fresh Basil leaves
  • Sugo di pomodoro x 600g or chopped canned tomatoes 2 x 400g see Tip*
  • Olive oil
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 100g x Ricotta Salata
  • 500gCasarecce pasta
  • OR try our Sicilian Sugo alla Norma, produced and jarred in Sicily. Also available within our Pasta alla Norma Recipe Parcel

Method

Make sure to read our Tips!

Take a non-stick large saucepan and place on a medium heat. Add in around 1cm of olive oil into the pan and once hot and in your chopped aubergine and cook until golden brown and thoroughly cooked all the way through.

Once cooked season the aubergine with a good pinch of sea salt. At this stage you can remove any excess olive oil from the pan, we tend to keep the olive oil in the pan at this stage though.

Once the aubergine is cooked, add in your chopped basil and fry for 30 seconds adding in 600g of previously made Sugo di Pomodoro see Tips*. Lower the heat and place a lid on the pan and simmer slowly for 15-20 minutes.

Whilst the sauce gently simmers, cook your pasta to the manufacture’s guidelines, drain and add into the sauce and mix well together. Make sure not to overcook your pasta as it will continue to cook in the sauce. If you sauce is looking a little dry at this stage, you can add in some of the pasta water to loosen it.

Mix the pasta well into the sauce and grate half of the Ricotta Salata inside and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil mixing well all together.

Serve on a platter or individual plates with an extra grating of Ricotta Salata and extra virgin olive oil.

Tip

  • Sugo di Pomodoro is great to have stored in the freezer. It adds more depth of flavour to the dish instead of using tomatoes straight from the tin.
  • If you don’t have any Sugo di Pomodoro at hand take 1 x crushed clove of garlic and add when frying the basil and fry for 30 seconds and add in 2 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes and cook for an extra 5 minutes.
  • Make sure you simmer the sauce on a low slow heat and is best with a lid on to avoid the sauce from drying out.

Buon Appetito!