Ok, right off the bat, I want to make sure that this (very traditional and authentic) way of making this dish is not necessarily complicated. However, it is time consuming, and it involves a lot of steps. Of course it’s all worth it, but I felt you should know before you dig your hands into this deliciousness. I’m sticking with upping my intake of vegetarian foods, just keep it healthy, and this one doesn’t make you miss meat even one iota. I can’t say enough good things about this! I hope you take the time to cook this with me, you’ll be glad you did.
What you’ll need:
for the eggplant
- 2 to 3 medium eggplants
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
for the sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cups tomato puree
- 1/8 tsp salt
for the parmigiana
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup Parmigiana-Geggiano cheese, grated
- 8 – 10 oz fresh mozzarella
Slice the eggplants thinly, then lay them out on paper towels and sprinkle them with salt on both sides. Set aside for 30 – 60 minutes to draw out the excess water. Rinse off the salt and dry them off with paper towels.
In the meantime, start making the sauce. Add the olive oil to a sauce pan, then sauté the onions for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the tomato puree and the salt, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside and let it cool somewhat.
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, and fry the eggplant a few at a time. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Transfer one third of the tomato sauce to the bottom of an oven proof 9 x 13 baking dish.
Mix two thirds of the tomato sauce with the eggs (make sure the sauce is cooled down). Layer the eggplant into the baking dish, followed by tomato-egg mix, then a sprinkle of Parmigiano cheese, then slices of the fresh mozzarella. Repeat until your ingredients are used up.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees uncovered.
Bon Appetit!