Eggplant ‘a funghetto’ is a summer side dish typical of Neapolitan cuisine.
Together with pan-fried peppers and green peppers, they are, undoubtedly, my favorite side dish. They pair perfectly with many main courses, especially meat, although I prefer them paired with various types of cheese, especially with provola and fiordilatte from Agerola.
Their name “a funghetto” (or fungetiello, in Neapolitan), is due to the characteristic cube cut that, once cooked in the pan, resembles sauteed mushrooms.
The eggplant cubes, once fried, are then simmered in a sauce made with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and basil.
Eggplant ‘a funghetto’, besides being delicious, is also a very versatile preparation in the kitchen because, besides being consumed as a side dish, they are great for enriching various types of recipes such as pasta dishes and timbales, pizzas and fillings, or simple bruschetta.
In short, when you decide to make them, make plenty because they certainly won’t go to waste.
Now take a minute to read the recipe and then… let’s cook and eat!!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs eggplants
- A few tomatoes (datterini or cherry)
- 1 clove garlic
- A few leaves basil (fresh)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste peanut oil (for frying the eggplants)
- to taste fine salt
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Slotted spoon
- 1 drain basket
- 1 Wooden spoon
Steps
To prepare eggplant ‘a funghetto’, choose fresh eggplants with thin skin.
Once washed, dried, and trimmed, cut the eggplants into slices 0.5-1 inch thick, lengthwise.
Then cut the slices first into sticks and then into cubes.
The size of the eggplant ‘a funghetto’ is very subjective, some like them smaller and some larger, adjust according to your taste.
The important thing is to cut them all more or less the same size to ensure even cooking during frying.
Fry the eggplants in seed oil, preferably peanut oil, until you achieve a uniform golden color.
As they are ready, with a slotted spoon, transfer them to a drain basket to lose excess oil.
Once the frying of the eggplants is finished, move on to preparing the fresh tomato sauce.
After washing them, cut the tomatoes in half (or into wedges, depending on how big they are), then put them in a pan where you’ve browned a clove of garlic in a little extra virgin olive oil.
Salt, add a few basil leaves, and let cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes are soft and have released their juice.
At this point, add the fried eggplants to the pan and let everything flavor for a few minutes. Adjust the salt if necessary, and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.
Once off the heat, serve the eggplant ‘a funghetto’ adding more fresh basil leaves 😉
