This beautiful plate of “pasta alla Norma” was my dinner back at the beginning of June in Bagheria, Sicily my grandmother’s hometown. It is the classic Sicilian pasta dish, made with maccheroni (in this case rigatoni) with a light tomato sauce, sautéed (or fried) eggplant, grated salted ricotta, and if available, fresh basil. Please take note: salted ricotta. This is very important.

Last night, I ate dinner on Arthur Avenue in The Bronx. They had Pasta Siciliana on the menu… with mozzarella. No, no, no. Mozzarella, while I love it, is from Campania. If it’s a so-called Sicilian-inspired pasta… Please use ricotta. Thank you. Now, my rant is over. And now, I’m going to make my dinner.

For more about why it is called pasta alla Norma, visit https://experiencesicily.com/2016/02/15/a-signature-dish-pasta-alla-norma/

… And come eat some with me in Sicily in 2019!