This dish goes by a couple of totally different names outdoors of Italy: eggplant parm, eggplant parmesan, eggplant parmigiana… In Italy, it’s recognized by just one: Parmigiana di Melanzane. It’s an extremely scrumptious baked dish, with layers of fried eggplant slices, cheese, tomato sauce, and basil.
Parmigiana di Melanzane | Genuine Italian Eggplant Parm Recipe
The place is Parmigiana di Melanzane From?
A controversial topic in Italy!
One principle is that it comes from town of Parma. Is smart, contemplating the identify, proper? Not so quick, as a result of the time period “parmigiana” has been linked to varied Sicilian phrases comparable to “damigiana” (a sort of wicker casserole dish), “palmigiana” (a form of louver shutter paying homage to the eggplant layers in look), and “parmiciana” (which suggests “Persian”).
In any case, the earliest written recipes come from Naples, the place the dish as we all know it right now definitely developed. It’s a traditional in Napoli, the place they often even exchange the tomato sauce with their tremendous wealthy ragù alla Napoletana!
Find out how to Deal with the Eggplants
Whereas the eggplants should be fried, they don’t have to be battered (opposite to in style conception). Don’t dip them in egg, don’t dip them in bread crumbs, don’t dip them in flour. The great thing about fried eggplants is the interaction between the oil and vegetable—it’s a magical course of that shouldn’t be interrupted!
One in style approach is salting eggplants previous to cooking with them, a measure which helps suck out extra moisture and may even assist to sweeten the vegetable. This can be a trick that Italians hardly ever use because it’s utterly pointless with high-quality, in-season produce. In case you dwell within the North America like us, you in all probability solely have entry to eggplants that are bred to be as large and waterlogged as doable. Therefore, this trick is sort of helpful at occasions.
In case you really feel this step is important, flippantly salt the eggplant slices and allow them to drain in a colander for an hour or two previous to frying.
Find out how to Make the Excellent Eggplant Parmigiana
One of many largest frustrations with making a great parmigiana is attempting to maintain the dish from changing into too moist, a very widespread drawback in North America the place eggplants are fairly watery (see above). To treatment this, strive cooking down the tomato sauce in order that it’s thicker, and drain the chopped mozzarella in a single day to shed as a lot liquid as doable. This can lead to the very best consequence and a scrumptious parmigiana!
Parmigiana di Melanzane | Genuine Italian Eggplant Parm Recipe
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PARMIGIANA DI MELANZANE RECIPE
Serving Dimension: 4-6
Prepare dinner Time: 2-3 hours
For this recipe, you will have:
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3 massive eggplants
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Frying oil (further virgin olive oil is greatest, in any other case use a impartial oil of your selection)
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Salt
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3 cups (710ml) simple tomato sauce
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12.5 oz. (350g) chopped mozzarella, or to taste
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1 cup (85g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste
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Fresh basil
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Deep frying pan
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Metal tongs for frying (optional, two forks work as well)
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Slotted spoon
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Paper towels
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2-quart baking dish, or similar
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Aluminum foil
Thinly slice the eggplants into cross-section discs. Meanwhile, fill a deep frying pan with 1 inch of oil and bring up to medium/high heat. Like every Italian nonna, we never use a thermometer when frying. Instead, we just drop a small piece of eggplant in the oil when it’s hot. If it starts to bubble and fry right away, the oil is hot enough to fry! No need to overthink it.
Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, drop the eggplant slices in and fry until they are lightly golden and wrinkled. Remove the eggplants with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain, and sprinkle them with salt.
Preheat an oven to 370 degrees F (185 C).
Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Cover this with a single layer of slightly overlapping eggplant slices. Over the eggplant, spread some chopped mozzarella, some torn pieces of basil, and a generous grating of Parmigiano cheese. Spread another thin layer of sauce and repeat all the above steps until you have layered all the eggplant. Finish by covering the top in an even spread of tomato sauce and plenty of grated cheese.
Cover the dish in aluminum foil and bake it for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook the parmigiana a further 30-45 minutes, or until the top is beginning to crisp.
Let the dish cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Optionally, serve it cold instead of warm.
Buon appetito!
Want more eggplant recipes? Check out a whole video we made all about our favorites: