Featured recipe: Parmigiana di Melanzane | Eggplant Parmesan (Sept. 2021)

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

1 kg (~2.2 lbs) of eggplant

2 eggs

3 Tbsp of flour

Salt

2 Tbsp of milk (as needed)

Oil for frying

300 gr. of fresh tomatoes, peeled OR 1 14 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

250 gr. of mozzarella, thinly sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

125  gr. (1 cup) of grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350 °F.

Slice the eggplant into pieces lengthwise, about 1/2 inch thick. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, flour and a pinch of salt—if it is too thick for dipping, add the milk.

Pour the oil into a frying pan, estimating an amount that will cover half the eggplant pieces, and heat over a medium–high flame until little bubbles begin to form.

Dip the pieces of eggplant in the batter and fry them in the oil until they are crisp, about 2 minutes on each side. Keep the oil very hot while you are frying them. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon or spatula and drain on absorbent paper.

If using fresh tomatoes, crush them with a fork in a small bowl.

Layer 1/3 of the eggplant pieces in the bottom of a medium-sized baking pan. Cover the eggplant with half the mozzarella, 1/3 of the crushed tomatoes, salt, black pepper, and half of the grated parmesan. Repeat the process until you have 3 layers of eggplant and 2 of filling, and over the last layer of eggplant put the remainder of tomato, a little olive oil, and some pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes, and serve with additional grated parmesan.

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