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Italian Recipe

Parmigiana di Melanzane

The Neapolitan way with eggplant: fried slices layered with tomato, basil, and two cheeses, baked until it slices like a promise kept.

The Neapolitan way with eggplant: fried slices layered with tomato, basil, and two cheeses, baked until it slices like a promise kept.

60 min Prep Time
80 min Cook Time
6 Servings
medium

Instructions

  1. Salt the eggplant slices in a colander, weighted, for 45 minutes to draw their bitter water. Rinse briefly and dry completely.

    50 min

  2. Meanwhile make the sauce: soften the onion in olive oil, add the tomatoes crushed by hand, salt, and simmer 25 minutes; finish with half the basil.

    30 min

  3. Fry the eggplant in batches in 170 C oil until deep gold on both sides; drain on racks, not paper, so they stay crisp.

    25 min

  4. In an oiled deep dish: a veil of sauce, a shutter of eggplant, sauce, fior di latte, Parmigiano, torn basil. Repeat for 3 to 4 layers.

    15 min

  5. Finish with sauce and a confident snow of Parmigiano only (no mozzarella on top; it burns before the inside sets).

    3 min

  6. Bake at 180 C until bubbling at the edges with a bronzed roof, 35 to 40 minutes.

    40 min

  7. Rest at least 30 minutes. Slice in squares that stand up straight and serve warm, not hot.

Chef's Tips

  • Dry cheese, dry eggplant: Water is the only thing that ruins parmigiana. Drain the fior di latte hours ahead and dry the fried slices on racks; sogginess is a choice.
  • Fry, do not grill: Grilled eggplant makes a lighter dish that is also a lesser one. The fry is where the silk comes from; rest and patience handle the oil.
  • Sicily folds in a little pecorino and sometimes egg; Parma raises an eyebrow at everyone. The Neapolitan canon above is the one most of Italy means by the word.

Nutrition Facts

Calories
704.84
Protein
26.94g
Carbohydrates
25.19g
Fat
56.32g
Fiber
10.22g

Per serving

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Reading

Stories from Campania

Long reads from our writers on the ground.

  1. The magazineAmalfi Coast Travel Guide