Italian · Sicily · main

Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma reads salinity 4.6, sweetness 4.1 and allium 4.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian · Sicily main, about 1 hr 20 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 4.8 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 4.7 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 2.2 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.9 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 3.8 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.4 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Salinity 4.6 · Sweetness 4.1 · Allium 4.0 · Richness 3.4 · Earthy 2.7 · Herbaceous 2.3 · Umami 2.1 · Sourness 2.0 · Fruity 2.0 · Bitterness 1.6 · Warm Spice 1.6 · Nutty 1.4 · Floral 0.9 · Heat 0.6 · Citrus 0.6

What's in it (12)

• eggplant — 600 g
• salt — 10 g
• sunflower oil — 552 g
• tomatoes — 800 g
• garlic — 9 g
• fresh basil — 20 g
• maccheroni — 400 g
• ricotta salata — 120 g
• extra virgin olive oil — 41 g
• caster sugar — 4 g
• salt — 5 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 3 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 20 min (1 hr 18 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 17.6 kcal, 0.6 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 3.6 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

1. Layer the aubergine rounds in a colander with the 2 tsp salt and leave them 30 minutes over the sink. Water will bead on the cut faces. Blot every slice thoroughly dry: wet aubergine will spit in hot oil and drink it rather than fry in it.
2. Meanwhile, warm the extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat with the crushed garlic cloves for 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and pale gold at the edges but not browned. Add the crushed tomatoes, the 1 tsp salt, the pepper and the sugar if using, and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce has darkened, pulled away from the sides of the pan and lost its raw metallic edge. Fish out and discard the garlic, then tear in the basil off the heat.
3. Heat the sunflower oil in a deep pan to 175 C, hot enough to brown a cube of bread in 50 seconds. Fry the aubergine in batches for 3 to 4 minutes a batch, turning once, until each slice is deep gold and completely slack in the middle. Underfried aubergine is spongy and squeaks; this dish depends on it being cooked to silk. Drain on kitchen paper.
4. Cook the pasta in abundant salted water for 1 minute less than the packet says, about 10 minutes, so it still has a chalky centre.
5. Drain the pasta and toss it in the tomato pan over low heat for 1 minute with two-thirds of the fried aubergine, letting it finish cooking in the sauce.
6. Plate, lay the remaining aubergine slices on top, and cover each plate with a heavy fall of grated ricotta salata and a few small basil leaves. Ricotta salata is the pressed, salted, aged sheep's cheese sold in Sicilian and Italian delis; feta and parmesan are both the wrong dish.
7. Substitutions: rigatoni can stand in for the maccheroni.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Githeri (Maize and Bean Stew) — Kenyan
• Arroz Rojo — Mexican
• Minestra Di Fagioli (Bean Soup) — Italian
• Soupe au Pistou — French · Provence
• Gemista (Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers) — Greek

Keep reading: what salinity, sweetness, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.