Pasta alla Norma is a riff on a traditional Sicilian pasta named after the opera Norma, written by Vincent Bellini, a native of the ancient port city Catania. While this pasta is typically vegetarian, with lots of robust flavor contributed by the capers and garlic, this version is cranked up a notch with hot Italian sausage. If you prefer a vegetarian pasta, just omit the sausage. Easy-peasy. Finally, perfectly salty sheep’s milk pecorino Romano is the necessary finishing touch to take this dish into the stratosphere. Or, if the kids are in charge, opt for a regular Italian sausage.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants, cut into ½-inch cubes
Sea salt
2 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casing removed and shaped into small meatballs
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil stems
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried casarecce pasta
½ cup finely chopped fresh basil
½ cup pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

  1. Place a colander in the sink, add the eggplant, sprinkle generously with salt, and toss. Let sit for 20 minutes, rinse well, and pat dry with paper towel. Set aside.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the sausage meatballs and cook, turning the meatballs with a spoon, until golden on all sides, about 5 minutes (the meatballs will not be cooked through but will finish cooking in the sauce). With a slotted spoon, transfer the meat- balls to a plate, leaving the fat in the skillet.
  4. Working in batches, add some of the eggplant to the skillet and fry, stirring every few minutes, until golden brown on all sides, about 5 to 8 minutes.
  5. Transfer to a plate and repeat until all of the eggplant has been fried, adding some of the remaining oil to the skillet if necessary. When all of the eggplant has been fried, add the garlic, basil stems, and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often.
  6. Stir in the capers, tomato paste, and oregano and cook 1 more minute. Add the vinegar, lemon zest, and tomatoes, and season with a nice pinch of salt and pepper. Return the sausage meatballs and eggplant to the skillet, bring to a simmer, and cook until thick and glossy, about 20 minutes.
  7. While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water, and return the pasta to the pot. Add the sauce mixture to the pasta, along with the reserved pasta water, chopped basil, and pecorino. Stir vigorously to coat the pasta with the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Excerpted from Cook With Confidence by Dennis Prescott. Copyright © 2024 Dennis Prescott. Photographs by Dennis Prescott. Published by Penguin an imprint of Penguin Canada®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.