Eggplant parmesan is a typical Sicilian dish that’s appreciated all over Italy and beyond, whose name derives from ‘parmiciana,’ the Italian term for the little pieces of wood that form a shutter, recalling the eggplant that overlaps in the dish while baking. Eggplant parmigiana is a dish so well known that there are actually many different versions of it: You can make it with many different kinds of vegetables – from zucchini and peppers, to artichokes and leeks – with the same method of alternating layers of tomato and cheese.
Parmigiana step-by-step
An authentic parmigiana is made in the following way: First slice the eggplants as thick as possible (3-4 mm is fine). Place the slices in a colander and sprinkle them with coarse salt. Place a weight on them and leave them there for about an hour. This will allow the vegetables to lose their bitter-tasting liquid. After an hour has passed, rinse and dry the slices well with paper towels. Flour the eggplant slices one by one and fry in hot oil – cooking on both sides.
Mozzarella – not stringy cheese!
Slice the mozzarella and place it on a chopping board. Wait half an hour for it to dry (until the excess water drains from the cheese). Every once in a while, squeeze the cheese to speed the process up a bit. Do not use stringy cheeses; they are tasteless and of very bad quality. Separately, prepare the tomato sauce: sauté chopped onion or shallot, add some good tomato sauce (or peeled whole tomatoes), and let simmer for at least 30 minutes until the sauce infuses with the other ingredients. Once cooked, add salt and garnish with basil leaves.
Layer on layer
Next drain and dab the fried eggplant slices with paper towels, salt them and start to assemble: First oil the pan with a brush. You don’t want to go overboard with the oil because the eggplants will also release more as they cook. Start with a layer of sauce, followed by the eggplants, some more sauce, the mozzarella, sauce, and finally, parmesan cheese. Start over and form three more layers. Finish with parmesan cheese and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 40 minutes. Enjoy!
Discover some tips on making the perfect parmigiana in the photo gallery above!
Pics by Giandomenico Frassi, styling Beatrice Prada