Salvatore Fraterrigo is working hard these days making final preparations to open his new 70-seat trattoria Norma in New York City, which was originally set to launch in April.
After having gained a solid reputation and success with his first restaurant Norma - Gastronomia Siciliana, Fraterrigo and his wife (and business partner) Emanuela Pacifico decided to open a second Norma in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen, right on 53rd Street and 9th Avenue. The new Norma will not only continue serving Fraterrigo’s traditional Sicilian menu, but the space will also feature the same interior design style, all shipped straight from Sicily!
Salvatore Fraterrigo
Fraterrigo has always dreamed of bringing authentic Sicilian food overseas without compromising on any of the high-quality ingredients. When creating the menu, Chef Fraterrigo made sure to include the classic Sicilian specialties, such as arancini, caponata, panelle, pizza and cabbuci – the last being a typical bread from Trapani made with durum wheat flour and cooked in a wood-fired oven (similar to pita bread). And Fraterrigo’s pastas represent the quintessence of Sicilian tradition. Whoever gets the chance to taste one of his dishes always makes the same comment: “It tastes just like Sicily.”
His pasta al forno, baked in the wood-fired oven remind Fraterrigo of his Sicilian childhood spent in Trapani and Palermo, both areas on the Sicilian west coast. One of the most iconic pasta dishes from Sicily is, in fact, anelletti siciliani, which is also one of the most popular pasta options at Norma.
Anelletti Siciliani
“The secret is in the pasta itself and the ragù,” said Fraterrigo. “You need authentic Sicilian anelletti pasta and the ragù has to be prepared in a slow-cooked style. Another tip is to use half pork and half ground beef to make the ragù tastier. Finally, don’t underestimate the topping – made with breadcrumbs, olive oil and butter. It needs to be crusty.” Unlike the original recipe, Fraterrigo doesn’t use eggs to make his version of anelletti pasta.
When it comes to the timballo alle sarde, the chef makes it very clear: “A timballo is very hard to make it if you are not an expert. It’s not even easy for me sometimes. I keep experimenting with it.” He suggests making pasta with sardines instead, another classic Sicilian dish from the west coast – mostly from Palermo. “If you want to make pasta with sardines, then I would recommend choosing bucatini or spaghetti alla chitarra. Since it’s not so easy to find Sicilian sardines in New York, you can easily use fresh Portuguese sardines.” One of the best tips is to cook the sardines with the pasta, then add wild fennel, pine nuts, raisin and saffron. Like in any other Sicilian pasta, the toasted breadcrumbs play a huge role.
Another special dish at Norma is lasagna palermitana, a different and unique version of the classic and original Emilia-Romagna lasagna. “It’s layered with fresh sheep’s milk ricotta, meat ragù and pork sausage,” he notes.
Arancini Siciliani
Fraterrigo, who had all the equipment, decorations and furniture shipped in from Sicily, wants to make this new Norma look like another Sicilian corner of New York. “Handmade straw chairs were shipped from the city of Castelvetrano, while the ceramics were made in the famous town of Caltagirone,” he said. A corner shop will sell all the typical Sicilian specialties – from pasta and tomato sauce to authentic Sicilian cookbooks.
The new entry on the menu is the Sicilian couscous prepared by following a recipe from Trapani, the Sicilian city which has a very unique tradition in fish couscous.
“I will make the couscous only by hand,” adds Salvatore. “It will not be pre-cooked. Fish couscous is one of the most difficult dishes because it requires a long slow-cooking process and a certain level of manual skill to work the semolina wheat flour. I learned it from Chef Pino Maggiore in Trapani. He is the one who makes the best Sicilian couscous. There is nobody who makes handmade couscous in New York. I am proud to be the first.”
Cannoli
Then for dessert, don’t forget the typical cassata and cannoli! Not to mention all the delicious Sicilian wines available for tasting. Buon appetito!