Eggplant Parmigiana

Hello folks. Sorry for going M.I.A.

Lots of things have happened since the summer and I finally got myself a laptop so I can post recipes again.

Not sure if you've heard about this dish, but it's a very tasty and easy dish to prepare - one of the staples of Italian cuisine. Unfortunately, I have become allergic to eggplants so I can't eat this anymore :( Please, have a slice for me too!

Hope you enjoy!

Recipe for one parmigiana:

1,5 kg oval deep purple shaped eggplants

150 gr Parmesan cheese

1,4 l of tomato passata (Mutti is really good)*

1/2 yellow onion

35 gr rock salt (to soak eggplants in)

500 gr mozzarella

salt and pepper

a few basil leaves

vegetable oil to fry eggplants

Start by washing the eggplants and slice them really thin lenghwise. (5mm thick) You can use a mandoline slicer. Place the slices in a drainer (you can use a pasta drainer if you don't have a flat one), sprinkle with salt and repeat until all the eggplants are cut. Place a heavy dish on top of the eggplants, so that all the water can get out of the eggplants - leave for at least 1 hour.

In the meantime, cube the mozzarella and let it drain on a drainer.

In a non-stick skillet heat up 4 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat; add the onion and cook until it's translucent (around 3 minutes).

Add the passata, a little bit of water, and a pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to medium low, and cook for about 45 minutes. When the passata has finished cooking, add the basil leaves in small pieces.

Now it's time to fry the eggplants. Heat up the vegetable oil, and when it has reached the right temperature (170 C), add a few slices of eggplants. After 1 minute, turn and cook for another minute. Place a paper towel on a dish, and once you have cooked the eggplant slices, place them on top of the paper towel, so the excess oil gets absorbed.

Once you have finished cooking all the slices, and have placed them on the dish with the paper towel, we can start assembling the parmigiana.

Pre-heat the oven to 220 C. Take a baking dish (20cm x 30cm) and spread a thin layer of passata. Place the slices neatly, sprinkle some pepper, and add some mozzarella and Parmesan, and more tomato passata. Press down gently, to make it more compact. Now we can start the second layer: add the slices of eggplants in the opposite direction (vertically if you put them horizontally the first layer), sprinkle some pepper and mozzarella and Parmesan and top off with passata. Don't forget to gently press down at each layer. Keep layering until you finish all the ingredients, and finish off with a layer of passata and cheeses.

Place the baking dish in the oven and cook for 40 minutes.

Wait a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

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Tips:

*Passata is tomato sauce - but it's made differently and you can taste the difference in the final product.

Recipe translated from http://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Parmigiana-di-melanzane.html