Home

Eggplant 'mbuttunate

17/11/2023

Eggplant ‘mbuttunate is a traditional dish of Neapolitan cuisine, where “mbuttunare” stands for “to stuff” or “to fill”. Here is the traditional recipe, with a little “Italian-style” twist to make it even more delicious, as is my custom.

Ingredients

  • 4 medium-sized eggplants
  • 200 g of provola or well-drained mozzarella cheese
  • 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 300 g of tomato puree
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Fresh basil to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • Flour as needed for dusting the eggplants
  • Oil for frying

Preparation

  1. Start by washing and cutting the eggplants into slices about half a centimeter thick, without peeling them. Place them in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let them rest for about 30 minutes. This process helps to remove their bitterness.

  2. In the meantime, cut the provola or mozzarella into thin slices.

  3. Rinse the eggplant slices to remove the salt and bitterness and dry them with kitchen paper.

  4. Prepare a batter by beating the eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper.

  5. Dip the eggplant slices first in flour and then in the batter.

  6. In a frying pan, heat plenty of oil for frying. Fry the eggplants until they are golden brown on both sides, then remove the eggplants from the oil and place them on paper towels to remove excess oil.

  7. Prepare a simple sauce by sautéing a clove of garlic in extra virgin olive oil, then add the tomato puree and hand-torn basil. Salt and let cook for about 15 minutes.

  8. Take a baking dish and pour some of the sauce on the bottom.

  9. Now proceed to “mbuttunare” the eggplants: on an eggplant slice, place a piece of provola and sprinkle with Parmesan, then cover with another slice of eggplant, almost to form a sandwich. Continue until all the ingredients are used up.

  10. Arrange the stuffed eggplants in the baking dish over the sauce.

  11. Cover the remaining eggplants with more tomato sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

  12. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 20 minutes or until the surface is golden and the provola cheese has melted well.

Curiosity

Eggplant ‘mbuttunate is an excellent example of peasant cuisine that is transformed into a dish rich in flavor. The name “mbuttunate” comes from the Campania dialect and means “buttoned up”, as the slices of eggplant are joined as if they were buttoned around the filling of cheese and tomato.

Eggplant 'mbuttunate