Eggplant Parmigiana (Parmigiana di melanzane)
According to Clifford Wright, a chef and food analyst who writes about Mediterranean recipes, this classic Italian dish dates back to the 14th century when a recipe was first mentioned in the cookbook, where Parmesan cheese was combined with eggplant. In 1786, in the book Il Cuoco Galante, the chef of Naples, Vincenzo Corrado, wrote about the baking of the eggplant “al parmigiano”, where the flavored eggplant was baked in butter and covered with grated parmesan. In 1837, Ippolito Cavalcanti published a recipe in his cookbook, according to which this food can still be prepared today.
I heard about this food, of course from Mark Liechti, who likes the eggplant and who describes this meal in such a way that it aroused my interest to trie it. Maybe I made dozens of mistakes when preparing this food, but that’s how my Parmigiana recipe came about.
Eggplant is a fruit that is relatively juicy. Somehow the juiciness should be “stuck” in the eggplant slices. To do this, either it is possible to fry the eggplant slices in oil, bread them, use an egg, etc. I wanted to make food that wasn’t so oily, and I baked eggplant slices on a high-heat baking sheet before putting them in the food.
The result was a Mediterranean-flavored food that is a bit like lasagne but lacks the meat and pasta, and which I would certainly do again in the future. If desired, you can use zucchini instead of eggplant to prepare this food.
Preparation time: 45 min
Level: easy
Quantity: for four to six
Ingredients:
Three medium-sized eggplants sliced into 0.5 cm slices
800 g of canned crushed tomatoes
200 g grated Parmesan cheese
150 g mozzarella cheese
1 larger onion, chopped
1 large crushed garlic clove
Salt, oregano and black pepper for seasoning
About 10 ml of wine vinegar
A handful of fresh basil (optional), also suitable dried herb
A few tablespoons of olive oil
Preparation:
1. Slice the eggplants, lightly grease with olive oil, place in a baking pan covered with parchment paper, and cook at maximum heat for about 10-15 minutes until the eggplant slices are slightly dry.
2. At the same time prepare the sauce. Chop the onion, crush and coarsely chop the garlic. Slightly fry onions and garlic over medium heat. Add oregano, salt, and pepper.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. At the end of the, add the chopped basil and about 10 ml of wine vinegar.
4. Coarsely grate the parmesan. Cover the bottom of a baking mold with a few tablespoons of tomato sauce and cover with a layer of baked eggplant slices. Cover the eggplant layer with a few tablespoons of tomato sauce (it doesn’t have to be evenly covered), shake over 1/3 of the parmesan cheese, and with the mozzarella pieces (half the amount)
5. Repeat with another layer. Do not lay the mozzarella on the last layer, cover it with tomato sauce and parmesan. Bake at 190 degrees C for 30 minutes.
Serve warm, but the food is good also is cold.
Ready !!
