If you are looking for something healthy or somewhat fat-free; then look away because parmigiana di melanzane is exactly what your gym instructor is going to tell you to stay away from. Then again, he may just suggest you reward yourself with this after a good week’s workout. This parmigiana is heavy, I’m talking downright dirty that you should be good all week in anticipation of. And yes, it is very much worth the wait! You might not look at eggplants the same after this.
Eggplant Heaven
When the parmigiana is done, you will anxiously lift the lid to see what this humble vegetable bloomed into. If you get carefully close enough to the pan, a wave of steam will mask your face. Accompanied by a milky, sweet, floral, and peppery scent sure to whet your appetite.
Then you might think: “Hmm, this is a soggy mess”!! And to you, I say: “Cut up a few chunks of ciabatta and dig into this rich, flavor-packed sauce” which would be an absolute shame to waste. Those juices are the aftermath of your reduced passata and mozzarella merging to form a mind-blowing relationship. One that should send sparks flying in your mouth.
Parmigiana like all other fried foods requires preparation and organisation of your ingredients to avoid mess. The eggplants take about 3 minutes to fry during which- you should be preparing the next batch. Just make sure to keep your eye on the stove to avoid a crispy result.
“Those juices are the aftermath of your reduced passata and mozzarella merging to form a mind-blowing relationship”.
Tempted? Let’s go shopping
Eggplants: When buying eggplants look for one that is heavy, firm when pressed, shiny and smooth with no dents. The stem should be green without signs of mould and decay. Eggplants have an enzyme that can give a bitter after taste and you can reduce this by soaking them in lemon water. This also ensures they won’t discolour while you prepare your other ingredients.
Size: Make sure to slice your eggplant as thin as you can. If you have a mandolin then power to you, but i have yet to master the courage to get anywhere close to that tool.
Sauce: The sauce should have a nice thick consistency. However, i have also used sauce that was not as thick as shown below and the results were just as good. I reduced it for 5 minutes less which yielded more than the 20 minute reduction, it was one of those days when i was impatient.
Parmigiana Di Melanzane Cooking Tips
Tools: Use a chopstick for frying and removing the eggplant from the oil (less mess compared to soaking and scraping off cooked egg from a fork)
Heat: Reduce your heat after the 2nd batch as the oil will be much hotter and will brown your eggplant before it’s cooked through
Organise: Keep your flour, egg mixture, and eggplant somewhere next to the frying pan (walking back and forth with dripping egg on the floor isn’t a pretty site)
Time saver: Line your ‘flour plate’ as well as ‘egg plate/bowl’ with cling film (this reduces the time you have to spend cleaning after)
Alternative: You do not need to finish off the final cheese melting step on the stove. You could put this in the oven at about 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cheese has melted. Make sure it’s placed uncovered on the middle rack.
When done layering you may add some basil leaves at the top before or after melting the cheese.
Where did parmigiana originate?
Well, there is a seemingly neverending contest on where parmigiana originated from. The south of Italy believes it came from there while the North of the country believes otherwise. So where does Parmigiana come from? We will unfortunately need to settle for the fact that it is from either the North or the South until officially proven otherwise.
Where to store Parmigiana
After cooking parmigiana, store any leftovers in the fridge, unless you intend to eat the rest on the same day, which you can just leave in the pan.
What cheese goes on parmigiana?
The cheese used for eggplant parmigiana is fresh mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano which in the event that you do not have any, you could use parmesan.
What goes well with parmigiana? What do Italians eat with parmigiana?
So what goes with parmigiana? Well, parmigiana can be enjoyed on its own or sandwiched between a ciabatta. So, what to serve with parmigiana will vary with your accompaniments and how hungry you are as well. This is due to the fact that parmigiana is quite filling and sandwiched between bread, it can be very filling, hence not requiring anything else.
Can you freeze parmigiana?
Yes, you can freeze eggplant parmigiana before and after you fry and layer it. Should you prefer to do so, it is recommended that you freeze the eggplant parmigiana after layering but before you do the final cooking over the stove or oven. So that you can enjoy it ‘freshly cooked’.
How to make parmigiana sauce
Add some olive oil to a hot pan. Toss in 2 garlic cloves and tilt your pan to make a ‘puddle of oil’ around the garlic. Let the oil infuse for a few seconds and remove them before they turn brown. Pour in the passata/ pureéd tomato (without seeds), add salt, stir to combine then cover the pan to reduce the sauce. This could take anywhere from 2-10 minutes depending on how much tomato sauce is in the pan. Once thickened, take the sauce off the stove, add the fresh basil to the sauce, and leave to infuse as you fry your aubergine. This sauce can also be used to make pasta.
How to serve parmigiana
Eggplant parmigiana can be served in a baking dish (if cooked in the oven). Or on a plate (if cooked over the stove) to be individually portioned at the table. Guests can enjoy it on its own or eat it with bread or potatoes according to preference.
What is eggplant parmigiana? What is a traditional Parmigiana?
Eggplant parmigiana is an Italian dish made with fried eggplants which are layered with fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, fresh basil, and parmigiano reggiano.
What is parmigiana sauce made of?
Parmigiana sauce is made of oil, garlic, passata/pureed tomato, and basil with a sprinkle of salt.
How to Make Parmigiana Di Melanzane
Make the sauce first. While it reduces, you could be preparing the eggplants.
Prepare a large bowl with cold water with a squeeze of lemon
Divide the eggplant into two, slicing horizontally then placing the flat side on the cutting board, slice the eggplant as thinly as you can and place set them in the water bath- repeating with the other half. If you choose to use a mandolin there is no need to split the eggplant in half but rather firmly hold and cut through from top to bottom.
Move your flour and eggs next to the stove to avoid a mess. Bring the vegetable oil to an optimum frying temperature of 190°C/ 375 °F.
Lay a kitchen towel on a chopping board or kitchen counter and spread out a few sliced eggplants on one half of the towel. Fold over the empty half of the towel to cover the slices and gently tap to soak up the water.
Lightly flour each slice (to make things a little easier I flour in 2 batches. Patting each slice before piling them on one end of the plate with the flour as I wait to dip them in the egg).
Coat with egg (drip off excess before frying) one at a time and fry for roughly 1 and 1/2 minutes on each side at high heat and place on paper towels to drain off excess fat.
Spread about 2 tablespoons of sauce on the bottom of a large non-stick frying pan then layer with the eggplant, top that with some sauce (not too much as you need some for about 3 layers) then 2 carelessly torn basil leaves, and cover that with some mozzarella (you can crumble it or have it in thin slices- whatever your fancy) then sprinkle some parmesan and repeat process until you have 3 or 4 layers depending on how wide your pan is.
When done with your layering, cover and put the parmigiana on the fire at low heat for about 10 minutes (after a few minutes you will notice some watery tomato sauce but this shouldn’t worry you as its water from the mozzarella which will be soaked into the eggplants during the resting period).
During the above simmering period, give the pan a light shake every 5 minutes. The eggplant is already cooked and so is the sauce so DO NOT be tempted to leave this to cook longer than 10 minutes or after the cheese has melted because the bottom may burn!
Take the parmigiana off the fire and leave it to rest covered for about 10-15 minutes.
Serve the parmigiana sliced on its own or sandwiched between fresh ciabatta. You could have it as an appetizer or for your main course.
Storage:
Refrigerate the leftovers for no more than a day.
Alternatives:
For a healthier option grill the eggplants and proceed with the other steps
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You Might Also Love This Pasta With Eggplants
Pasta With Eggplants (Pasta Alla Norma)
The eggplants liven up your basil tomato sauce, and the buffalo mozzarella and parmesan are just a little something to ensure it passes the comfort food test.
Parmigiana di melanzane
(+5 rating, 1 votes)
Loading...Coated and fried sliced eggplants. Layered with basil infused tomato sauce, milky buffalo mozzarella, parmesan and fresh leaves of basil.
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 litre cold water
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup of plain flour
- 400g peeled canned plum tomatoes (without seeds)
- 250g of buffalo mozzarella alternatively use: smoked mozzarella
- 1 cup of grated parmesan
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
Instructions
PREPARE THE INGREDIENTS
Puree your canned tomatoes and sprinkle some salt, taste for flavour (do not put too much salt as the parmesan is also salty)
Peel the garlic cloves and trim the ends, do not dice but leave them whole as you only need this to infuse the oil
In separate bowls crumble the mozzarella cheese and grate the parmesan, cover and refrigerate until needed
Wash the basil leaves and gently pat dry using a clean kitchen towel
Set the flour and eggs in separate plates wide enough to fit the eggplants during coating
Prepare a large bowl with cold water with a squeeze of lemon.
Divide the eggplant into two, slicing horizontally then placing the flat side on the cutting board, slice the eggplant as thinly as you can and place set them in the waterbath- repeating with the other half. If you choose to use a mandolin there is no need to split the eggplant in half but rather firmly hold and cut through from top to bottom.
Prepare a wire rack with paper towels
MAKE THE SAUCE
Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat in a large frying pan then toss in the garlic (tilt the pan so the garlic cloves are somewhat submerged in the oil. Keep turning the garlic to avoid browning on one side and take them both out after 30 seconds or as soon as they begin to brown.
Take the pan off the stove and pour in the passata, stir to emulsify with the oil and put it back on the fire. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and leave to reduce to a thicker consistency, about 3 minutes. Make sure to stir every so often to avoid the sauce sticking or burning. While this cooks you can prepare your eggplant
FRY THE EGGPLANT
Move your flour and eggs next to the stove to avoid mess
Bring the vegetable oil to an optimum frying temperature of 375 °F
Lay a kitchen towel on a chopping board or kitchen counter and spread out a few sliced eggplants on one half of the towel. Fold over the empty half of the towel to cover the slices and gently tap to soak up the water.
Lightly flour each slice (to make things a little easier i flour in 2 batches. Patting each slice before piling them on one end of the plate with the flour as i wait to dip them in the egg).
Coat with egg (drip off excess before frying) one at a time and fry for roughly 1 and 1/2 minute on each side at high heat and place on paper towels to drain off excess fat
After your 2nd batch reduce the heat a bit as the oil will be quite hot and may brown the eggplant before it cooks through
LAYERING
The sauce should be done by now so take it off the fire, roughly chop about 4 large leaves of basil and stir into the sauce- cover and leave to infuse for about 7 minutes then uncover to cool.
Spread about 2 tablespoons of sauce on the bottom of a large non stick frying pan then layer with the eggplant, top that with some sauce (not too much as you need some for about 3 layers) then 2 carelessly torn basil leaves, cover that with some mozzarella (you can crumble it or have it in thin slices- whatever your fancy) then sprinkle some parmesan and repeat process until you have 3 or 4 layers depending on how wide your pan is.
When done with your layering, cover and put the parmigiana on the fire at low heat for about 7-10 minutes (after a few minutes you will notice some watery tomato sauce but this shouldn’t worry you as its water from the mozzarella which will be soaked into the eggplants during the resting period).
During the above simmering period, give the pan a light shake every 5 minutes. The eggplant is already cooked and so is the sauce so DO NOT be tempted to leave this to cook longer than 10 minutes or after the cheese has melted because the bottom may burn!
Take it off the fire and leave to rest covered for about 10-15 minutes.
Serve sliced on its own or sandwiched between fresh ciabatta
Notes
Parmigiana keeps well until the day after so you can also take it to work for lunch.
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