We bought some lovely eggplant in the market today, so it’s all stops out to cook this classic Italian vegetarian dish.
Eggplant Parmigiana
Ingredients
3 large eggplants
salt
plain flour
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes
salt and pepper
Basil leaves, chopped, plus extra leaves for layering
250 g bocconcini or fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
100 g parmesan, grated
Method
Slice the eggplant no thicker than 1 cm. Sprinkle the slices with salt, stack in a colander and weigh down with a heavy object. Leave for 1 hour. Pat the slices dry and lightly coat in flour. Dip into the beaten egg, shaking off the excess, and fry in hot oil until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towel.
To make the sauce, heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil. Cook until lightly thickened. Season to taste and add half the basil.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Smear the base of a baking dish with sauce then add a layer of eggplant. Dot with slices of bocconcini, a sprinkling of parmesan and a few torn basil leaves. Continue to layer until you have used up the eggplant, and finish with sauce topped with cheese.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the top is golden. Allow to rest for 10 minutes or so and serve.
This post is part of the Food Friday meme,
and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.
my sons aren't eggplant fans (unlike hubby and I), but this looks like something that they'd like to have on their plate! will try this sometime! (bookmarked!)
ReplyDeletethanks so much for sharing this healthy dish over at Food Friday, Nick