Pasta alla Norma

I cannot think of a more operatic recipe. This dish is a classic from Catania, Sicily, birthplace of Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835). Norma, his greatest work and the favorite opera of many people, was performed for the first time on December 26, 1831, at La Scala. The title character was sung by Giuditta Pasta (1797-1865), one of the great divas of all time whose particular vocal style Bellini called “sublimely tragic.” If I could have gone to the major artists of the past in search of