Recipes, Substantial

Melanzane alla Parmigiana

18 April 2021

ingredients

1 kg epplants

Salt

1 kg skinned tomatoes

Garlic clove

Extra virgin olive oil

1 cup plain flour

100g Parmesan cheese

200g Mozarella cheese

Pepper

Dried oregano or basil.

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equipment

Chopping board and kitchen knife

Clean tea towels

Large fry pan

Tongs

Medium fry pan

Wooden spoon

Ladle

Cake Rack

Kitchen towel

Medium size baking dish

METHOD

Step 1 Prep

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Prepare the eggplant

Rinse and dry well,

Cut into 1 cm thick slices, cutting lengthwise

Lay on a clean tea towel and sprinkle with salt.  Leave for about 10 - 20 minutes allowing the eggplant to sweat.

While the eggplant are sweating, make the tomato sauce.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in the medium pan with 2 peeled cloves of garlic.  Do not let the garlic brown.

Finely chop the tomatoes with a kitchen knife.  
Scrape the tomatoes and their juices into the hot oil.

Stir well, season with oregano, salt and pepper.

Allow to simmer to create a thick sauce.

Preheat the oven to 200c

Step 2 Cook

Arrange some paper towel on the cake rack and place this close to the fry pan

Prepare a plate of flour beside the frypan.

Pour extra virgin olive oil into the base of the large pan - about 3cm deep.

Take the first few slices of eggplant.  Pat them dry and drag them through the flour, shaking off any excess before gently placing them in the hot oil.  It should be sizzling hot.  If not - wait another minute or two.

Do not overcrowd the pan - you need to do this in batches.

Cook on one side until golden, then turn using the tongs.  Once it is golden on the other side, transfer it to the paper towel to drain

Cook all of the eggplant in this way.

Step 3 Assembly

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Arrange a layer of eggplant in the base of the baking dish.

Spoon a small amount of tomato sauce over the eggplant

Grate a thin layer of Parmesan cheese over the sauce and dot some pieces of mozarella or Fiore di Latte on top.

Continue layering until the dish is full or until you have used all of the ingredients.

Aim for at least 3 layers.

The top layer should  be a thin layer of the tomato sauce and the cheeses.

Step 4  Bake

Place the baking dish in the centre of the preheated oven.  
Cook for about 20 minutes or until the top is coloured - this may take up to 40 minutes depending on how hot your oven is.

Step 5 To Serve

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Serve hot or cold from the baking dish - at the table.

source

Recipe by Elizabeth Peddey