Eggplant parmigiana
A classic northern Italian dish, eggplant parmigiana is hearty and rich in flavour, making for the perfect vegetarian meal.
• 1 kg eggplants, peeled, sliced into 2-3mm pieces
• 1 kg peeled tomatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
• Flour, as needed
• 500g mozzarella, diced
• 100g grated parmesan
• Salt, to taste
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Place eggplant slices in a dish, sprinkling a pinch of salt over each layer to extract the bitterness of the juices.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by placing tomatoes in a large saucepan with a drizzle of oil. Cook for around 30 minutes or until reduced.
4. After around 15 minutes, rinse eggplant slices to remove any excess salt and dry well with paper towel.
5. Dust eggplant slices with flour (some regions also coat slices in egg).
6. Heat olive oil to 3mm deep in a large frying pan and fry eggplant slices.
7. Place fried slices on paper towel to drain any excess oil.
8. Line the base of a baking dish with a spoonful of the tomato sauce.
9. Arrange a layer of eggplant slices on top of the sauce.
10. Drizzle another layer of sauce over eggplant and sprinkle with a portion of the parmesan and mozzarella.
11. Repeat layering process until there are no more eggplant slices remaining.
12. Top with a layer of sauce and sprinkle with parmesan.
13. Bake for around 30 minutes or until golden brown.
14. Serve warm.