Eggplant parmigiana prevails at countless Italian restaurants in the U.S., which makes it easy to assume that the dish derived from Italian-American traditions. While chefs and home cooks might implement a twist or two to make the dish their own, there's no doubt that eggplant parmigiana originated in Italy…southern Italy to be precise. Campania and Sicily to be even more precise – both regions lay claim to the dish
Summer wouldn't be summer without eggplant parm, so here's an easy, foolproof recipe for the classic version.
Classic Eggplant Parmigiana Recipe
PHoto: Riccardo Lettieri, Styling: Beatrice Prada
Recipe: Joëlle Néderlants
Skill Level: Intermedaite
Time 1 hour and 30 minutes + 2 hours resting
Ingredients for 6-8 people
3 lb./1.3 kg. eggplant
3 cups/700 g. tomato puree
1 lb./500 g. mozzarella
3 oz./80 g Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
onion and/or garlic
flour
basil
peanut oil
extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt
fine salt salt
Peel the eggplants and cut them into round slices around ½ cm thick (1/5″). Sprinkle the eggplant slices with coarse salt and place them in a colander for 2 hours. This will draw out their moisture and enhance the flavor of the eggplant.
Next, rinse the eggplants and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
Chop the onion and/or crush the garlic, and sauté it in a saucepan with 2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil. Add the tomato purée followed by some salt and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Coat the eggplant slices with flour and fry them in hot peanut oil for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil and pat dry.
Dice the mozzarella and grate the Parmigiano.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
To make the parmigiana, begin by spreading a little tomato sauce on the bottom of a pan (about 25x20 cm/8″x10″), then cover with a layer of fried eggplant, more sauce, the diced mozzarella, grated Parmigiano, and basil. Do two more layers, and use up all the ingredients. Finish by coating with plenty of grated Parmigiano on top. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.