Eggplant Parmesan (Melanzane alla Parmigiana) II
This Italian baked eggplant dish layers fried slices with tomato sauce, basil and a full kilo of mozzarella. The recipe calls for fiordilatte, the cows' milk mozzarella used across Italy, which melts into the layers without turning watery. Salting the eggplant first draws out moisture before frying. Sicilians say the name comes from "palmigiana," a word for shutters, describing how the slices overlap. It reheats well and improves overnight.
Instructions
Slice the eggplants lengthwise about ¼ inch (0.75 cm) thick and bury the slices in plenty of salt on a plate for about 1 hour. Rinse off the excess salt and pat the slices dry with a paper towel.
Soften the onion slices in olive oil in a saucepan. Add the drained whole tomatoes and mash them with a fork. If they are watery, stir in a small can of tomato paste to thicken the sauce.
Add 2 basil leaves to the sauce and simmer for about 20 minutes.
While the sauce cooks, pour ½ inch (1 cm) of olive oil into a frying pan, cast iron if you have it, and heat it. Fry the eggplant slices a few at a time so they do not overlap, flipping once, until golden.
Lift the fried slices out and leave them in a drainer to shed excess oil. Repeat until all the slices are cooked.
Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a greased ovenproof baking pan or casserole. Add a layer of eggplant with the edges slightly overlapping and no gaps, then a few basil leaves and a layer of sliced mozzarella.
Keep alternating layers until the eggplant is used up. Finish with a layer of tomato sauce and grated Parmesan or Grana Padano.
Bake for about 40 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Serve very hot, and keep any leftovers, which taste even better the next day.
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