Eggplant with parmesan – recipe from Italy

Recipe idea for guests: Melanzane alla parmigiana

We’ve all been there: guests have announced their arrival – possibly vegetarians – and you don’t want to spend the whole evening in the kitchen. Then you need a recipe that is either quick to prepare while the guests are having aperitifs, or one that you have prepared in advance and just need to heat up.
I recommend eggplant with parmesan and mozzarella. You can prepare it in the morning and keep it in the fridge until the evening. When the guests arrive, you just need to put it back in the oven for 10 minutes, perhaps with a ciabatta.

Eggplant with parmesan and mozzarella

Ingredients for eggplant with parmesan

The ingredients are enough for 4-5 people.

+ 4 large eggplants
+ flour for breading the eggplants
+ sunflower or olive oil
+ 1 pack of mozzarella di bufala
+ thinly sliced Parmesan cheese
For the sauce
+ 700 g chopped tinned tomatoes
+ 25 g butter
+ 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
+ 2 g (½ tsp) sugar
+ 1 very small dried chilli pepper
+ salt
+ fresh basil

You will also need a colander, a bowl, a large pan, a saucepan, kitchen paper and a casserole dish.

Preparation

Cut the ends off the eggplants and peel them lengthwise to create three dark and three light strips. This will keep the shape of the eggplants. Then cut the eggplants into 4 cm thick slices.
Salt the eggplants on both sides and leave to rest for 1-2 hours in a colander. The salt removes moisture from the eggplants and also some of their bitter taste. Then rinse the eggplants well and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Put some flour in a bowl and roll the eggplant slices in it until they are covered with flour on both sides.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the eggplant slices for 3 minutes on each side. You can turn them over with a fork.
Then place the slices in a bowl lined with kitchen paper. The paper should soak up some of the oil.

Prepare the sauce
Melt the butter in a pan. Add the chopped shallots and sauté for 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and cook for a few seconds, stirring. Add the sugar and stir again. Add a pinch of salt and stir again.
Add the chili (or ground pepper). Leave the sauce to simmer for 20-30 minutes to reduce slightly.
Add the chopped basil.
Pour a layer of tomato sauce one to 1 ½ cm thick into the baking dish. Spread the eggplant slices evenly in the baking dish.
Place a slice of Parmesan on each slice of eggplant.
Cut the mozzarella into slices about 1 cm thick and place on top of the eggplants.
Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the individual eggplant slices.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (gas mark 5) and bake the eggplants for about 30 minutes. If the cheese turns brown before then, turn the oven off beforehand.
Either serve immediately with bread and red wine or cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for another 10 minutes if necessary.