Eggplant Parmesan is a dish prepared all over Italy, and every region has its version. I am from Bari, and in Puglia, the preparation involves breading the eggplant slices first in flour, then in egg, and finally frying them, seasoned with Parmesan, mozzarella, and mortadella. Having lived in Palermo for a few years, I also tried their way of preparing it, and I must say that it’s not only faster but also lighter because the eggplant is fried directly without breading, and to season it, only tomato basil sauce and caciocavallo are used. In this recipe, I prepared a Palermitan-style eggplant Parmesan with a variation in the seasoning by adding mozzarella and replacing caciocavallo with Parmesan, thus combining the two variants. So, all that’s left is for you to try and taste it!!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs eggplant
- coarse salt
- 4.2 cups tomato puree
- 1 onion
- basil
- salt
- oil
- 17.6 oz mozzarella
- grated Parmesan cheese
Tools
- Baking Pan 10 inches
Preparing the Eggplant
Cut the eggplants into slices 1/4 inch thick. Arrange them in a mesh container and sprinkle a little coarse salt on each layer.
Add weights to press the eggplants better. Leave them for at least 2 hours.
In a saucepan, heat the oil, add the onion, sauté for a minute, and then add the tomato puree, basil, and salt. Cook for 1 hour.
After 2 hours, the eggplant will have released water. Rinse and dry it in a spinner or place it on a towel and blot it with paper towels. Once well dried, you can fry it.
Place it on a plate with paper towels.
In the baking pan, start by adding sauce and Parmesan, then arrange the eggplant slices next to each other.
Cover with mozzarella, sauce, and Parmesan. Repeat the layers until done.
Add more sauce, Parmesan, and eggplant slices, and start another layer until done.
Finish with a layer of eggplant, sauce, and Parmesan. Bake in a hot oven at 392°F for 30/40 minutes.
The Palermitan-style eggplant Parmesan is ready!
Advice
You can prepare the eggplant Parmesan a day in advance and bake it the next day, keeping it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap.
You can prepare the eggplant Parmesan a day in advance and bake it the next day, keeping it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap.
