Eggplant (aubergine) parmigiana is a classic Italian dish consisting of layered eggplants, tomatoes, parmigiano, mozzarella and olive oil. I recently changed the way I cook it after the epiphany of eating my good friend Ciro’s marvellous Neapolitan version shortly before Sydney’s present lockdown started. Grazie Ciro!
Dredging the thin slices of eggplant in flour before frying them in olive oil prevents the slices from absorbing the oil and makes the finished dish far more healthy and tasty. Some recipes call for making a tomato, olive oil and basil sauce, but I prefer just to use good quality Italian brand tomato passata straight from the bottle since the drained eggplant slices still have a little bit of oil which amalgamates with the tomato as it cooks.
I normally cook this as a starter, followed by roast herbed rack of lamb (recipe coming soon) or rosemary and garlic pork chops with potatoes. It’s delicious as a hot starter, but equally tasty as a room temperature side dish the following day after the flavours have bedded in. However you eat it, you’ll marvel at how similar it is to lasagne despite not having any pasta in the recipe.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes (including frying the eggplant)
Serves 6 as a main, 8 as a starter
Ingredients
2 large eggplants (aubergines)
200 grams plain flour
Salt to taste
200 ml extra virgin olive oil
700 ml jar of Italian brand tomato passata
200 grams freshly grated parmigiano
1 fresh mozzarella cut into small pieces
Method
Slice eggplants lengthways into thin 3-4 mm slices
Place eggplant slices in a colander, liberally salt each slice and leave for 30 minutes (to remove the bitter juices)
Wash the salt off each slice under running water and carefully pat dry with kitchen paper
Dredge each slice in flour, shaking off any excess
Fry floured slices in the olive oil in small batches (so as not to overcrowd the pan) until golden brown
Drain the slices on fresh layers of kitchen paper
When all the eggplant slices have been fried, add a thin layer of passata to the bottom of a sturdy ovenproof dish
Add a layer of eggplant slices, then add another layer of passata and sprinkle grated parmigiano
Repeat, this time sprinkling mozzarella pieces, and continue building alternate layers until all the eggplant has been used
Cover the top layer with tomato and sprinkled parmigiano
Cover with foil and cook in a pre-heated 200 degrees Celsius oven for 20 minutes covered and then 20 minutes uncovered
Remove from oven and leave to cool slightly for 5-10 minutes (otherwise it will be molten)
Slice into individual portions and serve with a red wine such as Chianti Classico or Valpolicella
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