Eggplant ‘funghetto’ is a typical side dish of Neapolitan cuisine. It consists of fried eggplant cubes seasoned with a simple sauce of fresh cherry tomatoes and plenty of basil. This dish can be served either hot or cold and can become a tasty filling for a sandwich. It’s an extraordinarily good and easy recipe to make. Also try the “non-fried” version of eggplant funghetto; you will be amazed by the goodness of a recipe that has nothing to envy from the classic version, suitable for those on a diet or who do not like to eat fried dishes.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Cooking time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 3/4 people
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 3 Eggplants
- 1 Garlic
- to taste Fine salt
- to taste Olive oil
- to taste Basil
- 10 Tomatoes
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Wash the eggplants, dry them perfectly and remove the stem. Cut them into large, uniform chunks. You can use both the long purple and the striped varieties.
Wash and cut the tomatoes into large pieces
Heat olive oil in a deep frying pan; the oil should be deep. When it’s hot, start frying a few pieces at a time to prevent the oil temperature from dropping too much, ruining the frying and final result. Turn them in the hot oil until they turn golden, then drain them, place them on absorbent paper and continue until all the eggplants are done.
In another pan, sauté a clove of garlic in a little extra virgin olive oil. As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, remove it and add the cherry tomatoes. Sauté them for a couple of minutes over high heat, stirring often, then lower the heat, cover, and let them wilt for about 5 minutes.
As soon as the cherry tomatoes are wilted, add the eggplants, season with salt to taste, and add some chopped basil, stir, cover, and let it flavor for 6/8 minutes on low heat. Before serving, add a few more fresh basil leaves.
It is generally recommended to salt the eggplant chunks with a weight on top for about an hour; this way, the eggplants lose water, remaining drier and crispier. I only do this when the eggplants are not in season and not very fresh, but it is not necessary at this time.
A tip: If you have leftover ragù or Bolognese sauce, use it to season the eggplant funghetto… oh my, how delicious.
