Today’s post is written by Lara O’Brien, our first guest contributor. Lara is a producer for CBC Radio’s morning news magazine, The Current. Prior to her life as a journalist, she honed her culinary skills by working in restaurants and eating her way across Europe. Lara will be writing regular posts about dining in Toronto and might teach us a thing or two about the metric system.

Pasta alla Norma might be one of the simplest yet most satisfying of all Italian pasta dishes. This is a great time of year to make it as basil is at its freshest and most fragrant.

When I first arrived in Florence for a year of study, my three roommates and I decided to explore the winding roads of Chianti and its spectacular vineyards. As we putted along in our rented Peugeot 306, we came across an unpretentious farmhouse and vineyard called Podere Terreno.

The small agro-turismo functioned as a B&B and produced and sold some of the most delicious Chianti wine one could imagine. Their production may have been small, but their wines were robust. As we tasted, my roommates and I quickly became acquainted with the proprietor’s son, one Pierfrancesco. Charming, suave and impeccably dressed in the relentless heat of the September Tuscan sun, we were smitten. Our visit ended with a promise from Pierfrancesco to come cook for us at our apartment in Florence and our Peugeot substantially heavier.

The following Friday, Pierfrancesco introduced us to Pasta alla Norma.

A popular 19th century dish, it was named after the Sicilian composer Bellini’s highly successful opera Norma. The ingredients were simple and noble, the combination sublime. Pierfrancesco made it seem effortless, and truth be told, it is. That meal was the catalyst for hundreds more that would be shared with friends around our big wooden kitchen table on Via Castellani in Florence.

This is best made with ricotta salata, a dried form of ricotta cheese, but regular ricotta will do in a pinch.

Pasta alla Norma
4 primi piatti

• 2 medium size firm Italian eggplants
• 3 gloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 small can of peeled chopped San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups of grated ricotta salata or equivalent of soft ricotta
• Large bunch of fresh basil
• Half a bag of rigatoni

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the rigatoni. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, saute the onion in olive oil until soft with a pinch of salt. Add the cubed eggplant and garlic and cook for about 8 minutes over med-high heat. You may need to add a touch more olive oil as the eggplant will absorb it. Add the canned tomatoes and a pinch each of sugar and salt. Let everything cook for another 6 minutes. The eggplant should remain somewhat firm. Add the drained rigatoni, ricotta salata, fresh basil and fresh pepper to the skillet, toss and enjoy.