Recipe: Pasta of the Opera: Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma ()

What does an eggplant pasta dish have to with 19th century opera? A lot actually. Sicilian composer and producer Vincenzo Bellini created the opera "Norma." Some believe that the dish was created for the show’s opening night and, some believe that when another playwright, Nino Martoglio, tried the dish, he exclaimed, ““Chista è ‘na vera Norma!” (This is a true Norma!). Whichever story is true, the dish, which originated in the Sicilian city of Catania, and opera will forever be connected.

Ingredients:

2 cups marinara sauce (canned or homemade)
2 medium eggplants
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup pasta (your choice), but we recommend ziti, rotini, spaghetti or rigatoni
4 garlic cloves
¼ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of spices (vary it up for your palate): Choose from black pepper, basil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, capers, thyme and salt.
¾ cup cheese: Originally calls for ricotta salata. However, sub with your choice of mozzarella, parmesan, grana Padano, pecorino Romano, feta, ricotta, blue cheese crumbles, shredded Swiss, etc.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit/ 218 degrees Celsius.
Warm your marinara sauce.
To ensure easy clean-up, line two large-rimmed baking pans with parchment paper.
Use a vegetable peeler, or knife, to shave off long alternating strips of eggplant peel.
Brush the rounds with olive oil on both sides, then, put the eggplant on the baking sheets. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto the eggplant. Roast 35 to 45 minutes, until “deeply golden and tender.” Flip the eggplant after 20 minutes. Set eggplant aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente, between 7-15 minutes; check your package’s instructions. Set aside ½ cup of pasta water and then drain the pot and return the pasta to the pot.
Gently stir the roasted eggplant into the warmed marinara sauce. Add the 1 teaspoon olive oil and spices to taste.
Add the pasta to the sauce and gently stir in two tablespoons of pasta water. Put aside about 1/3 of your cheese and add in the remaining cheese. Season, once more, to taste. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, you can add in pasta water in small increments until it reaches desired thickness.