EASY PARMIGIANA

Parmigiana is a delicious recipe, I have decided to make it easy, but even so, I will not deny that it is somewhat laborious and that you have to find a long time to prepare it. Each of the ingredients that compose it must be prepared separately and with care, the more effort we put into it, the better the final result will be. What is a parmigiana? In Italy you will find this dish as eggplant parmigiana (melanzane alla parmigiana) or just as parmigiana. Parmigiana is an eggplant cake, it is layers of eggplant with homemade tomato sauce, basil, fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheese. In reality, it has few ingredients, it is one of those recipes in which “less is more”, but its secret goes further, The grace of this dish is the treatment given to each of the ingredients separately, especially the eggplant and the tomato.

 

Melanzane alla parmigiana, is an Italian eggplant cake, an easy-to-prepare delight.

 

Origin of parmigiana.

This recipe has its origins in southern Italy, and is typical of Sicily. In the Naples area and throughout the Amalfi coast you can taste it in all its splendor, that’s where I tried it for the first time and where I fell in love with it forever.

And this eggplant cake is spectacular, full of flavor, with a delicate texture and flavors that complement each other, the sweetness of the eggplant, the slightly acidic touch of the tomato, the softness of the mozzarella and the intensity of the Parmesan.

For all this to be possible, it is necessary to prepare the two main ingredients separately.

 

 

Main ingredients:

The base of the dish is the eggplant, for the result to be optimal it must be prepared in a special way.

It is essential to cut the eggplant lengthwise, not into slices, and let it rest with coarse salt, to get rid of some of the water, this way, when you fry it or pass it through the grill with a few drops of oil, you will get that it does not absorb it like a sponge.

 

Preparing a homemade tomato sauce is essential in this recipe.

 

It is essential to cook the tomato at home. Yes, you can buy it ready-made, but fried tomatoes from a can will not give it the touch you are looking for, the flavor will not be the same, and the final result will be diminished by having wanted to save a little time.

I use whole peeled canned tomatoes and cook them without any oil in a wide, flat pot or frying pan so that the water evaporates. I add a few split garlic cloves that I later remove and strawberry basil leaves.

The most important thing is to be patient. In 45 minutes you have them and they are brutal, the water evaporates and what is left is pure flavor.

To complete the recipe, it is essential to have quality cheeses, buy bufala mozzarella and a good Parmiggiano Reggiano or Grana Padano.

These are two of the essential ingredients in this recipe. Don’t substitute them for anything else if you’re trying to make a parmigiana. Otherwise, you’ll end up with an eggplant pie, but it won’t be “parmigiana style.”

 

Eggplant, tomato, basil, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese are the main ingredients in this dish.

 

What we want to achieve:

A pie with layers of well-cooked eggplant that is soft but still retains its texture, with balanced, complementary flavors that can be cut and is a piece.

What we don’t want:

A sort of tray-pool with the eggplant and the rest of the ingredients softened inside, floating in a lot of liquid and with little flavor.

We don’t want a watery cake, we want to know what we are eating and notice the flavors and textures in each bite.

 

 

If we are clear about what we want to achieve and what to avoid, follow the steps I explain below and you will get a delicious eggplant cake, consistent and delicious.

 

Tips to make this dish turn out well:

• If you want an “extra cheese” put 2 mozzarellas instead ofone.
• The Parmesan cheese should be Parmiggiano Reggiano or Grana Padano.
• Make the tomato sauce at home, it cooks itself while you prepare the rest and is irreplaceable.
• Fresh basil is essential in tomato sauce.
• The eggplant needs to “sweat”, thanks to which it absorbs less oil and does not release water during baking, you cannot skip that step.

 

Advantages of this recipe:

• It can be prepared in advance, it is better after it has rested.
• It accompanies any meat or fish dish.
• It is laborious, but at the same time, very simple to execute.

 

Related recipes:

• Courgettes stuffed with meat
• Eggplants stuffed with quinoa
• Eggplants stuffed without dairy