Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana

Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana is a delicious variant of the traditional parmigiana, lighter as the eggplants are not fried. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• Eggplants, 3 medium
• Tomato puree, 500 ml
• Garlic, 1 clove
• Fresh basil, a few leaves
• Mozzarella, 300 g
• Parmesan cheese, 100 g grated
• Salt, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste (optional)

Preparation

1. Wash the eggplants, dry them, and slice them lengthwise into slices about 5 mm thick.
2. Heat a grill and cook the eggplant slices until they have a nice golden color on both sides. Lightly salt and set aside.
3. In a pan, sauté the garlic in some oil and then add the tomato puree, salt, and basil. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until you get a thick sauce. Remove the garlic.
4. Cut the mozzarella into cubes and let it drain to remove excess whey.
5. Prepare a baking dish and start with a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom.
6. Evenly arrange the grilled eggplant slices, then cover with some tomato sauce, a few cubes of mozzarella, and sprinkle with Parmesan.
7. Repeat the layers (eggplants, tomato, mozzarella, and Parmesan) until you run out of ingredients, ending with a final layer of sauce and Parmesan.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C (356 °F) for about 30 minutes or until the surface is golden and crusted.
9. Let the grilled eggplant parmigiana rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Curiosity

Eggplant parmigiana is a dish rich in history, whose name could derive from the term “parmeciana,” which in the Neapolitan dialect indicated window shutters, akin to the layers of eggplants in the dish. Despite the name suggesting the city of Parma, its origin is highly debated, contended among the southern regions of Italy, particularly Campania and Sicily.

If you wish to accompany this dish with a wine, a fresh rosé or a lightly fruity white would be suitable.