Recipe of Pasta alla Norma

There are many versions that surround the history of the name of this mythical Italian recipe, but they all agree on the same fact: it was made as a tribute to the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini.

To give it a different look without altering its essence, we will present the dish in the form of eggplant rolls stuffed with pasta. In addition to this change, we will cook the eggplant without oil instead of fried, and we will accentuate the character of other ingredients to replace the intense flavor of ricotta salute cheese. If you have it, do not hesitate to use it to obtain an even more authentic result. Read on and discover the steps to cook pasta alla Norma, you won’t want to stop making it!

Ingredients to make Pasta alla Norma:

• 1 large eggplant unit
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 units of fresh peeled tomatoes
• 1 can of diced or crushed tomato
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 6 units of black olives
• 1 tablespoon embittered brewer’s yeast
• 10 basil leaves
• 1 splash of olive oil
• smoked vegan cheese (optional)
• 100 grams of vegan spaghetti

How to make Pasta alla Norma:

1. We start the recipe for pasta alla Norma by preparing the aborigine. So, take it, stand it up and cut the two side bellies. Now, cut them into thin squares and set them aside for a moment.

1. Take the central part of the aborigine and, with the help of a mandolin, cut it into longitudinal slices 1 cm thick. You will need a total of six large and whole slices, those that break or remain small can be cut into squares and add them to those of the previous step.
2. Take a cast aluminum casserole and roast both the aborigine slices and the small pieces until lightly toasted, without any oil.
3. Now we go with the willow. Take a large deep skillet and coat the bottom with olive oil. Introduce the peeled garlic cloves, put the pan on the heat and let the garlic cook until barely toasted. To speed up the process, you can tilt the pan and fully submerge the garlic in the hot oil.
4. When they are done, remove the garlic cloves from the pan and reserve them to make another sauce or another recipe such as sautéed broccoli with garlic. Separately, cut the fresh tomatoes into very small cubes and add them to the hot oil, being careful not to splash them.
5. Add the tomato can and the concentrate to continue with the preparation of the Italian sauce. Also add the small pieces of roasted aborigine (not the slices), the chopped black olives, the brewer’s yeast and the chopped basil leaves.
6. Stir and let everything cook together until the sauce reduces and looks homogeneous, but without drying out. Add salt and black pepper to taste, taste the sauce and correct the flavor if you consider it necessary, adding what you think is missing. This sauce should be tasty and slightly spicy.
7. When it’s ready, save a small cup of sauce and leave the rest in the pan to keep it warm. At the same time that you prepare the sauce, you can cook the pasta. To do this, put water to boil with a splash of oil and, when it reaches the boiling point, add the vegan spaghetti.
8. Drain the pasta when it is al dente and add it to the pan where you have the sauce. Add a few more chopped basil leaves and stir over moderate heat to integrate the spaghetti alla Norma.
9. When the pasta alla Norma is ready, you can assemble the rolls to offer a different, striking and original presentation. To do it, spread the aborigine slices and place a generous amount of pasta on the widest part, look at the photograph to do it in the same way. Take one of the free ends and roll up the aborigine slice.
10. Serve three rolls of pasta alla Norma per plate on a smooth sauce base and bathe them with a drizzle of oil. If you want, you can sprinkle a pinch of ground black pepper.