L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES FRANCESCA BEZZONE W h o s a y s that good f o o d m u s t b e c o m p l i - cated to make, or that it has to take loads of time to pre- pare? There is a lot to learn f r o m t h e w a y o u r g r a n d - mothers used to cook: it may have been a royal-kitchen affair on special occasions like Christmas or Easter and even on Sundays, but during the week it was all about simplicity. Even the greatest chefs of today, in the end, tell us that freshness and simplicity are key in the kitchen, and if w e a l s o a d d t o t h a t t h e adjectives "seasonal" and "local," all the better. If you follow us regularly, you may have noticed we've been pretty keen on speaking about the simplest recipes of o u r t r a d i t i o n i n r e c e n t months: we had cacio e pepe, insalata caprese and, today, w e ' l l s p e n d s o m e t i m e t o discover the history — and the recipe — for another clas- sic of Italy's simple cuisine, pasta alla Norma. This dish is a true institu- tion in the town of its birth, charming Catania, and just as appreciated on the rest of the island. Its simplicity is key: pasta (usually short like rigatoni or sedani) tomato sauce, fried eggplant and, of course, a touch of ricotta salata, that flavorsome deli- cacy unknown in other parts of the country, where the more popular and ubiquitous parmigiano is the go-to chee- se to sprinkle —abundantly, of course —- on your plate. If you want to be fancy, you can add some fresh basil leaves o n i t , b u t t h e r e i s r e a l l y nothing more than that to this recipe. Still its deliciou- sness, the perfect balance of its flavors are such that even its name speaks about it. Yes, its name. Italians do love having a good story to tell when sitting around the table, even better perhaps if it's about what they're eating, and the legends behind pasta alla Norma are just a perfect mix between colorful tradi- tion and artsy, cultural tales: you know, they type of stuff w e l o v e s o m u c h i n t h e Belpaese. But, as it often hap- pens, more than one version of the dish's inception exist. Those among you who like music certainly noticed that pasta alla Norma shares its name with a famous opera by Vincenzo Bellini, Norma. N o w , B e l l i n i w a s f r o m Catania, just like our recipe, so the connection here is really strong. 2 6 t h o f D e c e m b e r 1831, the day when Bellini's Norma debuted at La Scala, in Milan. Bellini hoped for a s u c c e s s , b u t t h o s e c o l d northerners didn't seem to appreciate it as much as he had envisaged. But, if legends are to be believed, Bellini was in part consoled that evening when he was served for din- n e r a d i s h c r e a t e d b y a Catanese chef to honor his music, the aptly called "pasta alla Norma," which didn't only nod to the title of the opera, but also to the name of its soprano, Giuditta Pasta. And then, what a beautiful homage to the composer's homeland: pasta alla Norma had all the scents, colors and flavors of Sicily, with that triumph of tomatoes, egg- plant and delicious dried ricotta. Of course, we all know that Bellini's Norma ended up becoming a success and the m o s t f a m o u s a m o n g t h e composer's ten operas, in s p i t e o f w h a t t h o s e c o l d As many traditional Italian dishes, pasta alla Norma has a simple recipe, but it's full of flavor ( Photo: Massimiliano Gallo/Dreamstime) The beauty of simplicity: pasta alla Norma Continued to page 28

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