Years ago, during a cooking class in Tuscany, we made the simplest and most delicious eggplant parmigiana I’ve ever had. Grilling the eggplant adds extra flavor that is highlighted rather than drowned out by fresh tomato sauce, mozz, and a bit of basil.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 1½ hours
Tools
- knife
- two large baking sheets or several plates
- clean kitchen towel
- colander
- grill or grill pan
- 9 x 14 x 3 inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplant
- salt
- several T olive oil
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped or 1 c fresh tomato sauce
- 1 c mozzarella, cubed or mozzarella sauce
- handful of fresh basil leaves
Directions
Slice the eggplant lengthwise in ¼-inch strips and arrange in a single layer on the baking sheets. Salt both sides and let sit for 20 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.
Heat the grill or grill pan. Lightly oil the eggplant slices and carefully arrange a single layer on the grill. Grill until golden brown, 4-5 minutes, then flip and grill the other side. Repeat with all the eggplant.
Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly oil the baking dish. Arrange a layer of eggplant, then tomatoes, then a bit of cheese, then a couple basil leaves. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients, making sure to have some mozz on top.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the mozz on top is golden brown.
Notes
Grilling the eggplant takes a while. For a less labor intensive version, see Eggplant Parmesan.
Adapted from the recipe for “Melanzane alla parmigiana” in the Organic Tuscany cookbook.
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