Pasta alla norma & Italian romance
Make it like a true Italian!
Pasta alla norma, as I have been told on good (Italian) authority is a Sicilian dish, I didn’t learn to make it in Sicily but in Montalcino, Tuscany. Where I’ve just spent the last two months living. Something completely out of a romance novel that was every bit as delicious, iconic, magical & of course, romantic as you can imagine.
Feeling miserable in London, on a desperate whim I booked a flight (escape) to Italy.
I lived with an Italian family in a beautiful villa called Fonte Aulente. Surrounded by fig trees in the delicious peak of their season, olive groves, vineyards, a natural swimming pool & a separate little cottage where I slept. A 20 minute walk down winding dirt roads to the small village of Montalcino.
I’ve felt drawn to Italy my whole life. In fact, in my introductory message to the family I stayed with, I told them that I was Italian in a past life. I truly believe it! Pasta in a tomato sauce was the first thing I remember learning to cook. There’s just something about Italian culture, passion, language & food that speaks to my soul. Italians use minimal ingredients, focusing on highlighting the tastiness of ingredients that are in the peak of their season. It’s all very simple & very, very delicious.
How did I learn how to make Pasta alla norma? It’s a juicy & romantic story!
I was laying by the pool when I heard a car arrive. I wandered over to find two Italian men with a wine delivery. While one was busy on the phone the other asked me if I lived there. I told him that I was just staying there for a few weeks (that turned into 2 months), & he said that he might see me around. I replied with a shy “maybe…”, & that was it. He left with neither of us getting each others number.
Fast forward a week. It was a beautiful afternoon. Instead of working I threw on a cute dress & decided to walk to Montalcino to send some postcards to my family in Australia. I felt good. The summer air was insanely hot, the last few weeks of stress was easing its way out of my body, & I felt the buzz of excitement & openness you feel when travelling. I was wearing my favourite yellow sundress. It’s a little sheer, a little sexy, & very summery. The walk to Montalcino takes you through people’s gardens which, of course, are filled with olive trees & grapes, beautiful Tuscan villas & bursting fig trees that you can pick for a snack along the way. Very romantic.
On the walk I would yell “ciao!” to everyone I saw because I was traipsing through their backyard. As I walked past one particular villa, a car pulled into the driveway. I called out “ciao” to a young guy that said it in return but kept staring. (Not uncommon in Italy!) He yelled out “you’re the girl!” & I realise he’s the guy who came to drop off the bottle of wine the other week. The guy who’s number I never got. He asked me what I was doing & I tell him that I’m heading to Montalcino. He asks to meet up with me. Of course I say yes, & I walk away giggling at the serendipity of it all.
We meet in Montalcino an hour later. He helps me find the local post office followed by driving through the Tuscan countryside in golden afternoon light. We go to a gorgeous bar called Vineria Aperta. A delicious spot - for a date, a friend, or yourself. We drink sparkling wine, foccacia possibly baked with lard (ridiculously tasty), & a dish called Vitello Tonnato that has tuna, capers & veal. Afternoon turned to night which turned to drinking Martini’s at an incredible bar called Il Cantuccio. We danced, laughed & kissed down the beautiful cobblestone backstreets of Buonconvento. This all lead to making homemade pasta & Pasta Alla Norma, as well as many, many more delicious dates & my first Italian romance!
We also made our own pasta to go with the eggplant tomato sauce. We shaped the pasta into ‘strascinati’, which means to pull, by rolling the dough into roughly the width of your finger, cutting it so it’s maybe 5cm in length, then rolling the piece on the flat side of the knife to make ‘strascinati’. During the making of the dough I was constantly told to make it with love. Very Italian. Apparently I was punching it.
I asked for the recipe. I had to copy & paste exactly how it was written…except for a few spelling mistakes. It was too endearing.
To make the pasta dough:
400g Tipo 00 Flour
100g Semolina Flour
1 Whole Egg
12 Yolks
Make a well to pop your eggs in. Whisk with a fork to combine then start needing, with love, until you have a smooth round ball. Wrap in clingwrap & pop in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
Depending on where you are it may be hard to find Ricotta Salata. Substitute with any salty hard cheese you can find. But just use “common cheese” if that’s all you have/can find. It’ll be delicious no matter what!
I recommend cooking with a glass of wine & the following playlist!
Enjoy, you hungry thing… xx
