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

Why is it called pasta alla Norma? ›

It was named in honor of the native of Catania Vincenzo Bellini, the composer of the opera Norma. It is said that the Italian writer Nino Martoglio exclaimed "This is a real 'Norma'!", meaning a masterpiece, when he tasted the dish, though the name is not attested until decades after his death.

How do you cook Jamie Oliver aubergine? ›

Method. Prick the aubergines, then carefully blacken them over a direct flame on the hob (or under the grill), turning with tongs until soft inside.

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 do real Italians call spaghetti sauce? ›

Here's the gist: the two ways Italians say “sauce” in Italian are salsa and/or sugo. Both words translate as “sauce” but never as “gravy.” Ragù doesn't even translate as “gravy” but comes close enough since it involves meat which is what people really mean when they say “gravy” (my personal opinion).

What do New Yorkers call spaghetti sauce? ›

However, these theories don't really explain why there's a lack of consistency — both across regions and within the five boroughs of New York — for why some use the word sauce and others use the word gravy.

Is eggplant the same as aubergine? ›

You might know them as eggplants or you might know them as aubergines, but they are exactly the same plant. The English prefer the latter name, while in North America we use the former.

Why do you soak aubergine in milk? ›

Soak eggplant slices or cubes in milk for about 30 minutes before cooking. The milk not only tempers the bitterness, but it actually makes for eggplant that is extra creamy, since the vegetable acts like a sponge and soaks up a good amount of milk in its flesh.

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? ›

War, pain – real pain – are a short memory away, and imprinted on the ruins on top of which people have drunken bacchanalias. There are four great Roman pastas, all connected: Gricia, Cacio e Pepe, Carbonara, and Amatriciana. They each play off of the others and reveal different sides to the same concept.

What is the secret to good spaghetti? ›

IF YOU COOK spaghetti in a big pot of water, drain it, then toss it with sauce, you are pouring a lot of flavor down the drain, says Vendemmia chef Brian Clevenger. “The trick to good pasta is cooking it in the sauce,” he says. It was while working at Delfina in San Francisco that he really started to understand why.

What brings out spaghetti flavor? ›

Red pepper flakes, dehydrated or fresh garlic, dried oregano, parsley, or basil, or an Italian seasoning blend are all good options. Dried herbs and spices should be added at the beginning of the cook time so that they have time to bloom.

Why put sour cream in spaghetti sauce? ›

Sour cream can enhance both the taste and texture of your pasta sauce. It works in a similar manner to when you add heavy cream to a pasta sauce, only it imparts a lovely tart flavor that is irresistible to the palate. Sour cream is a dairy product that has been fermented with lactic acid.

What does Norma mean in Italian? ›

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

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.

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!

What is Gigi Hadid's pasta called? ›

The Gigi Hadid Pasta is nothing new, in fact it originated in Italy and is more commonly known as Spicy Vodka Pasta. It's a creamy tomato-based sauce that starts off with cooking down some onions and garlic.

References

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