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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Pesto pasta with aubergine: Gennaro Contaldo

© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

Spaghetti alla Norma | Jamie Oliver spaghetti recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to cook spaghetti 101? ›

How to Cook Pasta
  1. Place 4–6 quarts of cold water in a large pot, and bring to a boil.
  2. Add salt, and bring back to a boil. ...
  3. Add pasta, and cook according to package instructions.
  4. For al dente pasta, do a bite test. ...
  5. Drain, but reserve some of the pasta water! ...
  6. Add your favorite ingredients and sauce, toss, serve and enjoy!

Where does pasta alla norma come from? ›

Here's the skinny on pasta alla Norma, one of Sicily's most epic dishes. Eggplant, tomatoes, basil, and ricotta salata – these four ingredients are the fundamentals of pasta alla norma, a dish that originated in Catania, a city on Sicily's west coast.

How do you make spaghetti nicer? ›

Adding fresh vegetables to your pasta dish is an easy way to make it more flavorful and more nutritious! Start by sautéing diced onion, tomatoes, peppers, and carrots in a pan until soft. Then add your spaghetti sauce and simmer for a few minutes to finish it off!

What is the one ingredient that makes spaghetti sauce so much better? ›

Nutmeg. Nutmeg is the key to boosting earthiness and adding a touch of nuttiness to your spaghetti sauce. Nutmeg also has a slightly sweet flavor, which we know goes great with acidic canned tomatoes. Overall, it accentuates the other ingredients in the sauce and adds complexity.

Is it better to cook spaghetti in sauce or water? ›

Cooking pasta in the sauce instead of in boiling water will increase the amount of time it takes to cook through. It's a good technique to use if you want to delay serving your pasta for a few minutes. Make sure to keep the sauce thinned out with pasta water as the pasta finishes cooking if you use this method.

Do you cook spaghetti covered or uncovered? ›

Should you cover the pasta when cooking it? It's okay to put a lid on the pot while you are waiting for the water to boil. However, after it starts to boil and you add the pasta to the water, you should remove the lid to prevent the water from bubbling over.

What is Alla Norma in English? ›

'pasta with eggplant'), is an Italian dish of pasta and eggplant. It is typical of Sicilian cuisine, from Catania in particular. It is made of spaghetti or other pasta with tomato sauce, covered with slices of fried eggplant and served with grated ricotta salata cheese and often basil.

What does the word Norma mean in Italian? ›

[ feminine ] /'nɔrma/ (regola) rule , regulation , standard. norma igienica sanitary regulation.

How do you make spaghetti taste like a restaurant? ›

Directions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender and fragrant. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and wine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  2. Reduce heat to low, stir in sausage and simmer until sausage is thoroughly cooked.

What does adding milk to spaghetti do? ›

It sounds unconventional to use milk in a meaty red sauce, but upon further investigation, it makes total sense why Italians swear by it. According to our Food Director Amira, not only does milk add a rich flavour to the bolognese, but it also “helps cut through the acidity of the tomatoes and red wine”.

How does Gordon Ramsay make the best spaghetti bolognese? ›

Recipe For Gordon Ramsay's Spaghetti Bolognese
  1. Meat. • 1/2 lb Ground beef.
  2. Produce. • 1 Carrot. • 2 cloves Garlic. • 1 Onion. ...
  3. Canned Goods. • 2 tbsp Tomato puree.
  4. Baking & Spices. • 1 tsp Black pepper. • 1 tsp Salt.
  5. Oils & Vinegars. • 2 tbsp Oil.
  6. Dairy. • 1/2 cup Whole milk.
  7. Beer, Wine & Liquor. • 2 tbsp Red wine.

What happened to Jamie Oliver pasta sauce? ›

"The Jamie Oliver pasta sauces were selling around 5000 jars a week, but this was not enough for Woolworths to keep it in the range so it has been removed in favour of other products that may deliver larger volume sales.

Do Italian cooks put sugar in spaghetti sauce? ›

Adding extra sugar to any dish may seem like an American thing, but according to Michael Chiarello, chef and owner of Bottega Restaurant, it's customary practice in southern Italian cuisine.

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