When the summer heat is in full swing, there’s nothing quite like a plate of Pasta alla Norma. This dish captures the very best flavors the season offers: ripe, juicy tomatoes, fragrant basil, and glossy, purple eggplants at their peak.
It’s not a complicated recipe, though it does ask for a little patience—especially when it comes to slicing and frying the eggplant, a step that takes time but rewards you with rich, silky bites. There are plenty of step-by-step recipes to guide you, and the result is always worth it: a dish that satisfies even the most demanding appetite. For me, it’s a once-a-year ritual, and one generous serving—around 600 calories—is as balanced as it is indulgent.
I made it today, with the thermometer hitting a balmy 35°C (95°F). The origins of Pasta alla Norma take us to Catania, Sicily, where it was once known simply as pasta con le melanzane (“pasta with eggplant”). Traditionally, it’s made with penne or another short pasta, tossed in a simple tomato sauce, crowned with fried eggplant slices, a generous snowfall of grated ricotta salata, and fresh basil.
The name itself is a tribute to Vincenzo Bellini, the celebrated Catania-born composer of the opera Norma. Legend has it that upon tasting the dish, the Sicilian writer Nino Martoglio exclaimed, “This is a real Norma!”—meaning a true masterpiece. The title stuck, even though it only became common decades after his death. In 2018, Pasta alla Norma was even crowned Dish of the Year by the BIT Tourism Award.
Casta Diva
In this famous aria, the Druid priestess Norma addresses the moon goddess, asking for peace and calm over the land. She pleads for harmony between her people and their Roman oppressors, and for her own heart to remain steady amid her inner turmoil. The text is filled with poetic imagery of the moonlight, purity, and divine serenity, contrasted with Norma’s hidden emotional conflict.
Whether enjoyed at a seaside terrace in Sicily or at your own kitchen table, Pasta alla Norma is summer’s flavors at their finest—simple, soulful, and unforgettable.
There are countless recipes out there, but I tend to return to the tried-and-true NYT Cooking version. In summer, though, I can’t resist using fresh tomatoes—the kind still warm from the sun—rather than canned. I give them a quick bath in boiling water, slip off their skins, and treat them just as I would their preserved cousins. Fresh basil is always my choice, its perfume weaving through the dish, while oregano waits patiently for the colder months, when its robust character can lift a winter table. And then there is the olive oil—always extra virgin, always at its finest. For me, nothing compares to the deep, sunlit flavor of Puglian oil, as if it carries in it the golden fields and sea breezes of the south.
Between the Lines 
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