Eggplant parmigiana
There are a lot of ways to prepare Parmigiana, and I’ve adapted it to our taste over the years, and tried to make it a little more “light”. It is prepared in different ways in Sicily, Naples, and even Puglia. From the type of cheese added to it (cacciocavalo in Sicily, mozzarella di bufala in Naples), to other additions (ragout in Naples, boiled ham or mortadella in Puglia, eggs in Sicily, in some places in Sicily even chocolate is added), as well as the method of pre-preparation of eggplant (fried, breaded, grilled, or as in my case baked in the oven without other additives). If you decide to prepare this dish, keep in mind that it is best to prepare it in advance, because parmigiana is most delicious when it cools to room temperature and all the flavors permeate.
Preparation steps
- Wash the aubergines, dry them, cut off the part where the stalk is, and then cut them into slices lengthwise or into rings about 1/2 cm thick. I never peel eggplants, if for some reason the peel bothers you, you can also peel them. I also stopped salting and rinsing the aubergines and they will never be bitter to me. But if you know your aubergines are bitter, salt them after you’ve cut them, let them stand in a strainer for at least half an hour, then rinse and pat dry or just pat dry with kitchen paper.
- Arrange the eggplant slices on two large baking trays lined with baking paper and brush each slice lightly on both sides. Place them in the oven preheated to 180-200 ° C for about half an hour.
- While the aubergines are baking, prepare the tomato sauce. My way of preparation is a bit light, without frying onions, and if you don't like it, prepare it as you normally prepare sauce / salsa. Finely chop the peeled tomatoes and place in a deeper pan. Peel a squash, grate it and add it to the tomatoes (or just halve them, remove the seeds and grate them on a large grater). Or add mashed tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes. Add two peeled garlic cloves, about 10 shredded basil leaves, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Put the cooked sauce on a medium heat, stirring often until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes, but be careful not to dry too much. When the sauce is done add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Grate the semi-hard cheese you use on a large grater, and cut the fresh cheese into cubes. Finely grate the parmesan, add the crushed clove of garlic and about 10 other finely chopped fresh basil leaves. Mix well by hand, taking special care that the garlic does not remain glued to the lump, but rub it with the cheese to distribute it nicely. If you opt for fresh mozzarella, keep in mind that it releases a lot of water during baking, so chop it in advance and leave it on several layers of kitchen paper to absorb as much liquid as possible.
- And we are finally ready to agree. Oil the refractory dish in which you will bake quite a bit at the bottom, and then put a little tomato sauce. Arrange the eggplant slices, close to each other, even if they overlap slightly at the edges. Put 1/2 grated semi-hard cheese (or mozzarella) and cottage cheese over the eggplant (for me it's primo sale, and maybe ricotta). Sprinkle 1/3 of the tomato sauce over the cheese. Sprinkle with 1/3 parmesan. Repeat everything one more time. The last layer should be only eggplants and tomatoes.
- Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and place in a preheated oven at 180 ° C for about 40 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. Good apetite!
Serving
Over the years, I have prepared eggplants for parmigiana in all ways (fried, rolled in flour and fried, breaded with a mixture of eggs and flour, and even the classic flour-egg-crumbs). Each was good in its own way. The only thing I didn't like was the grilled aubergines because they were tough. But this way (baked in the oven) is not only the simplest but also the easiest, and no less delicious. In order to make the best use of aubergines (do you know that aubergines help lower cholesterol?), It is necessary to prepare them in the easiest way and with as little fat as possible.
