Parmigiana di Melanzane

In my previous post, I put up some memorable food photos from my time in Italy, but there was one dish worthy of its own post altogether - parmigiana di melanzane (eggplant parma).

It was always my firm belief that eggplant parma should not try to imitate a chicken parma, and my Italian food experience confirmed my view. My extended family in Italy presented this dish as part of a traditional nine course dinner and I was not prepared for the full foodie pleasure the dish could provide. I was also unprepared for the despair associated with not being able to eat everything plated up as part of the nine course meal!

The holy grail of melanzane

I now try to recreate this dish at home. While my version has never quite matched the flavours I recall from the original, it is a ripper of a recipe which can be prepared as a main or a side to another dish. In the final photo below, I've served it alongside panzanella (recipe to follow) and some delicious Italian sausages, which I bought from Belmore Biodynamic Meats on Miller St in Thornbury.

This recipe calls for frying and baking of the eggplants, but if you like you can grill them or steam them instead of frying.

This recipe is enough for four if serves as a side and is ample for two if part of the main fare.

Parmigiana di Melanzane

You will need:

One eggplant
1/2 cup of salt
Two capsicums (one red, one yellow)
1/4 cup white wine
1 Egg
2 cups of breadcrumbs
Vegetable Oil
One handful of buffalo mozzarella or bocconcini

Some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Tomato passata (I like the Bio-Nature brand)
Fresh basil

First Step: Prepare the eggplant

Slice the eggplant horizontally to half a cm or to your preferred thickness. Place the slices in a bowl or tray, coat with salt and set aside to rest for about 30 minutes. This will remove excess moisture from the eggplant and get rid of any bitterness. Drain and rinse the eggplant carefully - the last time I made this I rushed it and the dish ended up a tiny bit too salty, so make sure you rinse them well. Pat them dry with a towel and you are ready for the next step!

Next step: Coat, batter and fry!

Slice the capsicums as you please, ensuring you've cored them and rinsed out any seeds. I like to chop the capsicum into four to six pieces to get some good surface area for frying, but do as you like. Grab two big bowls. In one bowl, whisk your egg and white wine together. Put the breadcrumbs in the other. If you like, you can add dry herbs here for some added punch.

Coat each piece of eggplant and capsicum in the egg mix, then the breadcrumbs. Heat three to four cups of vegie oil in a pan (I like to use the wok). I test the oil first to see if its hot enough by putting a small piece of bread in there - if it starts bubbling happily, its ready to go. Fry your eggplant and capsicum in batches to avoid overcrowding and maximise crispiness. Each batch should take about five minutes to get crispy and golden.

Drain your fried goodies on some paper towel and move on to the next step!

Next step: assemble, bake and finish off your white wine!

Heat the oven to around 350 Farenheit (I have an old, old oven so I start this process before I've prepared the eggplant). This is the fun part. Slice your mozzarella or bocconcini to 1/2- 1cm thick. Pour about 1/4 cup of your passata into a deep dish, then add a few of your basil leaves. Add a layer of eggplant and capsicum, coat with more passata and then add a few slices of cheese. Repeat until you run out of ingredients. Then, add your parmesan to the top with any remaining basil and sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs and cracked pepper.

Place in the oven for around 30 minutes, or until golden on top.

Drink and be merry!



Served with panzanella and Italian sausages