Pasta to the Standard

How to prepare pasta to the norm or macaroni with aubergines.

I think my love for Italian pasta will last a lifetime, my taste for the different pasta recipes in your kitchen helps me lead a happier life.

One of them is pasta a la norma or pasta with aubergines , a traditional Sicilian recipe from Catania. And it is that Sicilians cook aubergines like no one else, they are masters at turning this simple vegetable into a gourmet snack.

On the blog you will find a Sicilian recipe with aubergines such as caponata or aubergines parmesan . Very simple Italian recipes made with love and fresh ingredients, such as the simplicity of pasta to the norm, aubergines, tomatoes and basil .

A simple, inexpensive and relatively fast dish, you only have to give the eggplants time to release some of their water before frying them. If you can get salty ricotta , a Sicilian sheep cheese that gives the recipe a plus of quality.

Who dares to try pasta to the norm? Let’s see how to prepare this tasty Sicilian recipe.

Preparation of the sauce to the Standard

1. We remove the stem and leaves from the eggplants. We cut them into large slices and peel them.
2. You can cut a round to decorate. In Catania I always saw them cut into squares as you see in the photos.
3. Chop into cubes and add them to the pan, so that they do not rust and darken.
4. Cook for 4 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. We brown them on all sides, they are sealed well and they are as tender and juicy as possible. We withdraw.
5. Peel and chop the onion and the garlic clove very fine. We fry them in a pan or flat casserole with a sheet of extra virgin olive oil.
6. We pour the pear tomatoes drained of liquid. We squeeze them well to remove the liquid from the pot. Mix well with the rest of the ingredients and cook for 10 minutes.
7. We separate the fresh basil leaves, wash them and chop finely, as if it were the case of parsley.
8. We spread the aubergines and fresh basil evenly over the sauce. Mix and let cook (over medium heat) for one minute. You see the sauce is made while we make the pasta. Everything at once.

Pasta cooking and final preparation of pasta to the standard

1. While our sauce is thickening, we put on the pasta. The proper proportions are one liter of water for every 100 grams of pasta, and 10 grams of salt.
2. Then we put 3 liters of water to boil, add 30 grams of salt and then the pasta.
3. If you want to know a little more you just have to see the special how to cook pasta like an Italian that we have on the blog.
4. We cook for the time recommended by the manufacturer, in this case 8 minutes. 
5. Drain the macaroni and then pour it into the pan or casserole with the standard eggplant sauce.
6. Mix well, with enveloping movements, so that the pasta is steeped in the flavor of the sauce.
7. We serve hot on the table and serve with grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese (if you have salted ricotta, it would be perfect), to give a creamy final touch to the dish.

If you do not want to miss the detail of this pasta recipe to the norm .  Do not lose detail and you will get a perfect dish.

Tips for a standard fluffy paste

• For this recipe with pasta we are going to peel the eggplants, although in some Italian restaurant I have seen this dish with the eggplant with skin. It goes to the taste of each house. However, if you make aubergines grilled or baked, we will keep the skin. Here it depends on the tastes of the cook.
• This dish prepares a cheese that in Spain is not very easy to find, salty ricotta . In Sicily the ricotta or sheep cheese is usually semi-cured and with a salty point, even smoked I would say. But you can substitute this cheese for the traditional Pecorino or Parmesan.
• The paste Standard is usually prepared with dry pasta short, feathers macarranos (penne rigate) or with spaghetti. Choose the one you like best.