Guess where does the name of the dish Parmigiana comes from? From Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese which gives to Parmigiana plate brown, crispy and tasty feeling 🙂 The origin of the dish is claimed by both the Southern regions of Campania and Sicily (south Italy).
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggplant
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 X fresh mozarella, sliced 1/8-inch thick
- 1 bunch of fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup of fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 tbs fresh bread crumb
- Salt
Ingredients for tomato sauce:
- ½ l tomato sauce
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 2 peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hands
Directions:
Cut the eggplant into 6 pieces about 1 to 1,5 inches thick. Season the slices with salt and leave everything to rest for approx. 30 minutes. Eggplant slices will drop the water outside. Thanks to this move when you will place eggplant slices in oiled pan, they will not drink all the oil.
Place the pan with extra-virgin olive oil on low heat. Then add garlic slices and after 2 minutes add eggplant slices. Cook them till they turn to brown on both sides.
Preheat the owen to 180 C
In the second oiled pan place garlic and chopped onions. After 5 minutes add bread crumbs and after 1 minute add tomato sauce and crushed whole tomatoes. Add salt and cook the sauce for at least another 20 minutes.
In baking sheet place on the bottom tomato sauce, than eggplant slice evenly spaced apart. Place one slice of mozzarella over each eggplant slice and repeat with tomato sauce. Than place again eggplant slices, mozarella slices, and repeat again with tomato sauce. Add some basil leaves and on the top of everything place fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Put it in the oven and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes untill the cheese is melts and the top turn light brown. Decorate the dish with basil leaves and serve immediately.
Buon apetito!
I used in this recipe:
Extra virgin olive Oil Tomato sauce
