Eggplant parmigiana is one of Italy's most beloved traditional dishes, a triumph of Mediterranean flavors that wins you over at first taste. Prepared with fried or grilled eggplant, basil-scented tomato sauce, stringy mozzarella and plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano, it is baked until golden and creamy.
Perfect as a main dish, vegetarian main course or Sunday recipe, parmigiana is a symbol of conviviality and home cooking. Discover all the secrets to making perfect eggplant parmigiana that is flavorful, light and irresistibly good.
1. Wash and dry the eggplants. Once the two ends have been removed, cut them into fairly thick slices.
2. Place the slices inside a colander and sprinkle them with coarse salt. Place a plate with a weight on them and leave them to drain for about 1 hour.
3. Run them under running water and dry them well. Dip the eggplants in flour and put them to fry in hot olive oil.
4. When the slices are golden brown on both sides, let them drain on paper towels and then arrange them on a cutting board to prepare single portions.
5. For each single serving, arrange in order: a slice of eggplant, a layer of mozzarella, a spoonful of tomato sauce, another slice of eggplant, another layer of mozzarella, and another spoonful of tomato.
6. Place the single portions in the oven at about 200° for about 8 to 9 minutes. Plate, add a basil leaf and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
How to choose eggplants
For a perfect parmigiana, we recommend you buy thepurple round eggplant, for 3 simple reasons:
They have few seeds.
They are sweet and gentle just right.
They will allow you to cut nice wide slices, perfect for single-portion parmigiana.
When purchasing them, make sure they arefresh:
They must have a shiny and even skin without wrinkles.
They should be toned and supple to the touch.
They should be neither too hard nor too soft.
Also remember thatsmallereggplantstend to be sweeter and tastier than larger ones.
Eggplant for parmigiana: how to season it?
Fundamental to flavor eggplant are mozzarella, tomato and oil.
As for the mozzarella cheese, once sliced, let it drain for a few minutes so that it does not produce too much water while cooking
Regarding tomatoes, the classic parmigiana is made with sauce: to prepare it, all you need to do is sauté some onion in extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes, add passata and cook for about 20 minutes. If you prefer, no one prevents you from using fresh tomatoes, cut into small cubes.
As for the oil, we recommendusing olive oil for frying as well: it is perfect for getting dry, golden eggplant. In addition, olive oil, having a high smoke point, holds up very well to high temperatures without burning.
Chef Infarinati, for frying, chose Farchioni Olive Oil, pleasantly fragrant and with a light fruity flavor, perfect for all types of frying.
To season the parmigiana, however, he choseExtra Virgin Olive Oil Il Casolare Farchioni Rustic Naturale, pressed and immediately bottled to preserve all the organoleptic properties of the olives intact. Thanks to its pleasantly fruity aroma and delicate taste, it is perfect for enhancing the flavors of parmigiana.
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