The Eggplant and Rice Parmesan is a variation of the well-known Eggplant Parmesan dish.
❓But is Eggplant Parmesan Neapolitan, Sicilian, or from Emilia❓
➡The origins are disputed, but food historians tend to agree that:
🔸 *Naples* is the most likely candidate for the *origin of the recipe as we know it today*: fried eggplants, tomato sauce, cheese, and basil, layered and baked. Already in the *nineteenth century*, it appears in Neapolitan cookbooks.
🔸 The name “parmigiana” *does not come from Parma*, but probably from the *Sicilian word “parmiciana”*, indicating the slats of shutters, similar to the arrangement of layered eggplants.
🔸 In *Sicily*, however, there were similar dishes already in the eighteenth century, but closer to Arab preparations with eggplants and spices.
📌My style refers to the Emilian version (without eggs and mozzarella):
– *Eggplants*🍆: sliced, floured, and fried.
– *Tomato sauce*🍅: simple, prepared with garlic or onion and basil.
– *Cheese*🧀: grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
– *Mozzarella*: sometimes present, but not always.
➡➡I composed layers with: tomato sauce + eggplants + boiled rice + basil + Parmigiano and baked at 356°F for 20 minutes.
On the blog, you can also find another variant:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Stove, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, All Seasons
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs long eggplants
- to taste flour
- 1 1/2 cups round grain rice
- 2.2 lbs tomato sauce
- 1 thin slice onion
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano
- to taste basil
Steps
Cut the eggplants lengthwise, flour them, and fry.
Create a sauté and add the tomato sauce. Cook for 20 minutes.
Boil the rice in salted water or broth until al dente.
Compose three layers:
1. base rice, then tomato sauce, then eggplants, basil and cheese.
2. Tomato sauce, eggplants, basil and cheese.
3. Repeat as above ending with basil.
If desired, you can add 200 grams of mozzarella between the layers.
Bake at 356°F for 20 minutes.
Discover the history of how eggplants arrived in Italy in this article.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can the eggplants be fried in an air fryer?
Yes, after flouring them, place them side by side in the basket with some parchment paper.
Spray oil over them.
Cook them for 10 minutes at 392°F, turning them halfway through cooking.
You can buy the air fryer directly from the COSORI site with a 25% discount
