To me, eggplant and sweet red peppers are incredible flavor partners. The problem, however, is that eggplant starts showing up fairly early in the summer, where chili peppers are among the last summer vegetables to be ready in the garden or farmers market. Pasta alla Norma is one of my favorite ways to use eggplant early in the summer, before the peppers show up. The dish also features fresh basil, which is another summer treat.

Pasta alla Norma originated in Sicily. By legend, the dish was invented in the city of Catania and was named after Vincenzo Bellini’s opera, “Norma.” The ingredient list is quite simple: Eggplant, tomato sauce, basil, pasta, and ricotta salata. Whipping up a batch of Pasta alla Norma can be super simple, leveraging a jar of basil marinara and dried pasta. Or it can be extravagant, making the pasta from scratch and marinara using fresh tomatoes and basil. I’ve done it both ways, and have made variations in-between.  

While you can short cut on the pasta and the sauce, you are not likely to find prepared eggplant on a grocer’s shelf. No problem. Roasting fresh eggplant is quite simple. Chop up the eggplant into ¾ to 1-inch pieces. Put some olive oil and water in a small jar with salt. Shake the jar until the salt has dissolved into the water, forming a brine and the oil and water have emulsified. Toss the eggplant with the oil mixture. Roast at 425°F for 30-40 minutes. The eggplant chunks should be firm on the outside and custardy on the inside. Fold the roasted eggplant into the hot tomato sauce, fold in the cooked pasta, and top with julienned basil leaves and shaved cheese.

Full disclosure: Traditionally the eggplant would be fried instead of roasted. You can go that route. But, to me, roasting eggplant saves a lot of calories and a lot of mess. And, when it’s well executed, it performs perfectly in pasta alla Norma.

Oh, yeah. The cheese. Traditionally the cheese is ricotta salata. Standard ricotta cheese is a fresh cheese. Ricotta salata is pressed and aged a bit. Ricotta salata has a much more concentrated flavor and a much drier texture than standard ricotta cheese. Ricotta salata certainly works well with this dish. If you’ve never tried ricotta salata, I encourage you to seek it out, as it’s an interesting cheese. Having said that, I often substitute. I have a couple sources for local chèvre. Both use paper-based packaging. It lets the cheese breath, but also lets moisture escape. If I don’t use them quickly enough, they dry out. They’re still delicious, but they become crumbly instead of creamy. I often use dry chèvre on Pasta alla Norma. Two other good options to consider are Mexican Cotija and feta. Pecorino Romano can also work in a pinch.