Eggplant Parmigiana is a dish known and cooked by everyone, each in their own way. I prepare it in two versions, the first quite hearty because I bread and fry the eggplants and add cooked ham between the layers. In this version, however, I stick more to the traditional recipe where the eggplants are only fried but since I had just prepared the Genoese pesto with a very fragrant basil, I added a few spoonfuls to the tomato sauce and between the layers, and here is my Slightly Genoese Eggplant Parmigiana.
Other recipes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Frying, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Sicily
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 421.43 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 16.38 (g) of which sugars 10.91 (g)
- Proteins 13.97 (g)
- Fat 34.91 (g) of which saturated 10.37 (g)of which unsaturated 10.02 (g)
- Fibers 7.72 (g)
- Sodium 408.00 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 400 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs black oval eggplants
- 2 tbsps coarse salt
- 4.2 oz Tropea red onion
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 20 leaves basil
- 7.1 oz buffalo mozzarella (well drained)
- 2.5 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
- 1.5 lbs peeled tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 cups peanut oil
- 7.1 oz Genoese pesto
Tools
- Chopping Board
- Mandoline
- Colander
- Frying Pan
- Paper Towels
- Pan cm.24
- Baking Pan cm.18×25
- Food Scale
Steps
Wash the eggplants, slice them thinly with a mandoline, and place them in a colander, sprinkling each layer with a little coarse salt. Put a weight on top and let the liquid drain for 1 hour. Meanwhile, work on the sauce.
Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a pan, add the thinly sliced onion, and let it brown without burning. Add the peeled tomatoes, previously blended, and let cook for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, quickly rinse the eggplants to remove the salt, place them on a clean cloth, and pat them dry with paper towels. Pour the peanut oil into a frying pan and, once it reaches the right temperature, fry the eggplants a few at a time. As they are fried, place them on paper towels.
Prepare the mozzarella by cutting it into pieces and letting it drain. Once the sauce is cooked, let it cool slightly and add 2 tablespoons of Genoese pesto. Now everything is ready to be assembled. Pour a ladle of sauce into the baking pan, place the first layer of eggplants, and scatter pieces of mozzarella.
Continue by sprinkling the Parmigiano, a bit of pesto, a few more spoonfuls of sauce, and continue like this until finishing with sauce, mozzarella, and Parmigiano. Bake at 390 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 45 minutes. Once removed from the oven, the Eggplant Parmigiana is ready but it’s better to let it rest for 10 minutes to serve it more compact and fragrant with basil leaves.
