Eggplant Parmesan - Parmigiana di Melanzane
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Loading...Eggplant parmesan (“melanzane alla parmigiana” in italian) is, par excellence, the holiday dish: a simple but laborious preparation, the star of lunches on holidays, especially in summer. Typical of the culinary tradition of Southern Italy, the recipe can be varied in a thousand ways, but the basic ingredients remain the same: eggplant, mozzarella and parmigiano cheese, tomato sauce, basil For the Eggplant parmesan you first need to fry the aubergines which are then arranged in alternating layers with the other ingredients, to create a brick which is then baked in the oven. A rich dish, whose secret is the perfect balance between the ingredients (many add hard-boiled eggs and cold cuts) and the soft but crunchy texture Eggplant Parmesan is a party: the whole family collaborates in the preparation and I have not yet met a person who, after tasting it, has not loved it unconditionally
Ingredients
- Violet long eggplants 10 (about 1,5 kg)
- tomato "passata" sauce 3liters
- mozzarella 1kg
- parmigiano reggiano 400gr (freshly graten)
- basil
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Wash the eggplants, cut them into slices and place them in a colander, adding plenty of salt. Cover with a lid and place a weight on top to press the vegetables.
Let it rest for a couple of hours: you will see that the aubergines release part of their liquid which is bitter and makes cooking more difficult and longer. I advise you to place the colander with the vegetables in a sink so that the liquid does not dirty your kitchen
Meanwhile, finely slice the onions, cook them in oil over very low heat and, when they are slightly golden, add the tomato and salt. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes covering with a lid and then for another 20 minutes without covering, for the sauce to set.
In a large pan, heat the oil. Check that it has reached the right temperature by dipping a piece of aubergine that must immediately fry.
Fry all the aubergines, dipping them in oil a few at a time, cooking them for about 5 minutes, turning them a couple of times until golden and crunchy. Let the slices dry on kitchen paper.
Cut the mozzarella into cubes and grate the Parmesan.
At this point you are ready to create your parmigiana. I use a disposable aluminum container because I don't have to wash it. Put a little sauce on the bottom of the container then form the first layer of eggplant, arranging the slices side by side, slightly overlapping, trying to close any holes. Add mozzarella, plenty of parmesan and more sauce. Compose other layers until all the slices are finished. Press lightly with a spoon (or with your hands, as I do) to compact everything and complete with sauce, a few last cubes of mozzarella and plenty of parmesan which, during cooking, will create a delicious crust on the top of your parmigiana.
Complete with a few leaves of basil and bake for about 30 minutes at 200g / 392F then turn off the oven and let the parmigiana cool in the oven: it must rest, in fact, and warm it's really fantastic
Notes
Eggplant parmesan has, as we said, a thousand variations in traditional Italian cuisine: my version is really simple and lighter than the classic one, which involves passing the aubergines in a batter of eggs and flour before frying. I also use only the basic ingredients, although sometimes I like to vary my Eggplant parmesan with the addition of chopped hard-boiled eggs The name “parmesan” has an uncertain derivation: many think that it refers to the inhabitants of Parma (parmigiani), a beautiful city famous for its traditional cuisine and home of Prosciutto (Parma) and Parmigiano (cheese). The use of tomato sauce and aubergines, however, suggests that the recipe was invented in Southern Italy and that the name therefore derives from the Sicilian word parmigiana, the typical wooden window made by superimposing one on the other small wooden slats exactly how do you go with the slices of aubergine that are superimposed to create the layers
ItalianCookingTips
Eggplant Parmesan requires an excellent tomato sauce which must still be fairly liquid, which is why I take it off the heat at least 10 minutes before: it will cook in the oven again without solidifying too much
ItalianCookingTips
eggplant parmesan is a rather long process: I prepare it the day before because I am convinced that it must rest before being served (always lukewarm). I overdo the ingredients so that I can make a couple more small parmesan to freeze for other occasions
ItalianCookingTips
eggplant parmesan can be varied with many ingredients: provolone instead of mozzarella (for a stronger flavor), salami, hard-boiled eggs (for an extra twist) and, last but not least, zucchini instead of super-classic aubergines
ItalianCookingTips
The recipe of traditional Italian cuisine says to flour the aubergines before frying them. In Naples, the aubergines are passed in beaten egg and flour to create a light crust. All excellent variants, which however make the preparation very heavy and this is never good
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