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…
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Memorable Maccheroni
Yes, of course the mosaics at the Roman Villa del Casale are always amazing to see, but I equally look forward to the maccheroni alla Norma at Trattoria La Ruota down the street!
A Signature Dish: Pasta alla Norma
Maccheroncini alla Norma (Maccheroni pasta, in this case, bucatini, with tomato sauce, eggplant, and grated ricotta salata cheese on top) is a classic Sicilian recipe. There are many theories about why it’s named “alla Norma,” the most convincing being that the name pays homage to Vincenzo Bellini’s opera, Norma. Bellini (1801-1835) was born in Catania,…
A Virtuosic Son
You may know “Pasta alla Norma,” which is a pasta dish with eggplant, salted ricotta, and tomato sauce from the Sicilian province of Catania. What you may not know, is that it’s named for the opera “Norma” by Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) who was born in Catania. Bellini left Sicily at 18 to study at the…