Spaghetti alla Norma | Jamie Oliver spaghetti recipes (2024)

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Sicilian spaghetti alla Norma

With aubergine, baby capers & basil

  • Vegetarianv

Spaghetti alla Norma | Jamie Oliver spaghetti recipes (2)

With aubergine, baby capers & basil

  • Vegetarianv

“This is a beautifully simple, classic Sicilian pasta dish – it’s incredibly satisfying, full of flavour, and feels like a great big hug in a bowl. It also contains two of your five-a-day (bonus!), and the nutty-flavoured wholewheat pasta is much higher in fibre than the white refined stuff (double bonus!), so is a fantastic switch to make. The aubergine takes on the most amazing texture, the capers and pecorino add a lovely saltiness to the sweet tomato sauce and the chilli flakes give it a lovely warmth. ”

Serves 4

Cooks In45 minutes

DifficultySuper easy

ItalianTomatoMains

Nutrition per serving
  • Calories 409 20%

  • Fat 13g 19%

  • Saturates 3.9g 20%

  • Sugars 8.4g 9%

  • Salt 1.5g 25%

  • Protein 16.3g 33%

  • Carbs 60.6g 23%

  • Fibre 10.1g -

Of an adult's reference intake

Tap For Method

Ingredients

  • 2 aubergines
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • ½ a bunch of fresh basil , (15g)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
  • olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon baby capers
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 x 400 g tin of quality plum tomatoes
  • 320 g dried wholewheat spaghetti
  • 50 g pecorino cheese
  • extra virgin olive oil

Tap For Method

The cost per serving below is generated by Whisk.com and is based on costs in individual supermarkets. For more information about how we calculate costs per serving read our FAQS

Tap For Ingredients

Method

  1. Chop the aubergines into rough 2cm chunks. Place into a colander in the sink, sprinkle with sea salt to draw out the moisture, then set aside for around 20 minutes.
  2. Peel and finely slice the garlic, then pick the basil leaves and finely slice the stalks.
  3. Rinse the aubergine and pat dry with kitchen paper, then place into a large bowl with the oregano, chilli flakes, a splash of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Toss together well.
  4. Drizzle a splash of olive oil into a large frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the aubergines in a single layer, and fry for 5 to 8 minutes, or until softened and golden, stirring occasionally – you may need to do this in batches.
  5. Add another splash of olive oil, followed by the garlic, capers and basil stalks, then cook for a further 2 minutes, or until golden.
  6. Stir in the vinegar and the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thick and glossy.
  7. Cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling salted water for 8 minutes or until al dente, which means that it should be soft enough to eat, but still have a bit of bite and firmness to it.
  8. Drain the spaghetti, reserving a cupful of the cooking water, then add a good splash of the reserved water to the aubergine sauce.
  9. Finely grate in half the cheese and tear in most of the reserved basil leaves. Add a lug of extra virgin olive oil, then season to taste.
  10. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and toss well, adding an extra splash of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed.
  11. Divide between bowls, grate over the remaining cheese and finish with the remaining basil scattered on top.

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© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

Spaghetti alla Norma | Jamie Oliver spaghetti recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is pasta alla norma made of? ›

Originally from Catania, a city on the eastern coast of Sicily, Pasta alla Norma is a delicious Sicilian pasta made with tender eggplant and tossed in a herby tomato sauce and a sprinkle of ricotta salata cheese. This eggplant pasta recipe makes a satisfying vegetarian dinner that even meat lovers enjoy!

How to cook spaghetti 101? ›

How to Cook Pasta
  1. Place 4–6 quarts of cold water in a large pot, and bring to a boil.
  2. Add salt, and bring back to a boil. ...
  3. Add pasta, and cook according to package instructions.
  4. For al dente pasta, do a bite test. ...
  5. Drain, but reserve some of the pasta water! ...
  6. Add your favorite ingredients and sauce, toss, serve and enjoy!

What pasta is from Sicily? ›

Busiate - on the west coast of Sicily around Trapani, busiate pasta reigns supreme. Made fresh with durum wheat flour and water, they come in the form of deliciously chubby, elongated helixes.

What does Norma mean in Italian? ›

noun. [ feminine ] /'nɔrma/ (regola) rule , regulation , standard.

Why is it called pasta Norma? ›

Pasta alla norma is a celebrated dish from Catania that they say got its name from the opera by Vincenzo Bellini: “Chista è 'na vera Norma!”, meaning, “This is a real Norma (i.e.: masterpiece)”, is what the famous Catanese comedy writer Nino Martoglio exclaimed when he tasted it.

What is the trick for spaghetti? ›

10 Tips to Do Pasta Night Right
  1. Use a big enough pot. ...
  2. Use plenty of water. ...
  3. Season the pasta water — ...
  4. Let the water come to a boil first. ...
  5. Stir right away — and every couple minutes. ...
  6. Don't rely solely on the cooking time on your pasta's package. ...
  7. Cook your pasta to just before al dente. ...
  8. Reserve the pasta water.

How to make spaghetti like a pro? ›

As a general rule of thumb, use 3-4 quarts of water & 1-1 1/2 tablespoons salt per pound of pasta. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to package directions. Just before draining, reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside – do not rinse the pasta.

What is the most famous pasta in Italy? ›

Translating as 'thin strings', spaghetti is one of Italy's most iconic pasta shapes. Around 30cm in length, they are cylindrical strands known for their use in Carbonara or Puttanesca.

What kind of pasta do real Italians eat? ›

Spaghetti is Italy's classic pasta and commonly found in Sicilian dishes you can try during a Sicily tour and vacation. Typical spaghetti is made from water, milled wheat, and flour, but authentic spaghetti is made with durum wheat semolina.

What are the 4 types of pasta in Italy? ›

Gricia, Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe, and Amatriciana are all simple pastas that share the same big flavors of Pecorino-Romano, black pepper, and—in three of the dishes—cured pork. Published Oct. 18, 2018.

Why is pasta alla vodka so good? ›

Wine works, too, but a clean-tasting vodka has mostly water and ethanol (a solvent), which is excellent at carrying aromatic compounds — like those in tomatoes. In other words, the vodka in this dish can help you smell, and in turn taste, the sauce's flavors in a heightened way.

Why does pasta alla vodka have vodka? ›

In a vodka sauce, the vodka helps maintain a cohesive texture, allowing the creaminess to meld with the tomato base. And sure, you could use wine to the same effect, but in a sauce as rich as vodka sauce, it's better to use a small amount of alcohol that will impart as little of its own flavor as possible.

What is pasta alla carbonara made of? ›

Carbonara (Italian: [karboˈnaːra]) is a pasta dish made with eggs, hard cheese, fatty cured pork, and black pepper. It is typical of the Lazio region of Italy. The dish took its modern form and name in the middle of the 20th century. The cheese is usually pecorino romano.

Why is it called pasta alla vodka? ›

Vodka sauce was definitively invented in by Armando Mei for his midtown restaurant Fontana di Trevi, debuting on the menu in 1967. Mei called his penne alla vodka, as the dish most often known as in the United States. It was a combination off tomatoes, vodka, and cream.

References

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