Ciao Italia: Plant, Harvest, Cook!
Simple Planting Advice and 100+ Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes
Mary Ann Esposito (Ciao Italia: Plant, Harvest, Cook! Simple Planting Advice and 100+ Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes) uses small eggplants for cooking because there are fewer seeds, and this eliminates the need to salt the slices to negate their bitterness. She does not peel them either, preferring to take advantage of all the antioxidant power (nasunin) in the skin. Frying the slices in peanut or vegetable oil instead of olive oil results in a lighter-tasting dish.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 8
- ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 3 cups Nonna Galasso’s Neapolitan tomato sauce (ediblevermont.ediblecommunities.com/recipes/nonna-galassos-neapolitan-tomato-sauce)
- ½ cup peanut or vegetable oil, or more as needed
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the flour, salt, and a few grindings of pepper in a heavy-duty paper bag. Close the bag and shake the ingredients to blend them. Add the eggplant slices a few at a time to the bag, close it, and shake to coat the slices. Transfer the slices to a plate.
Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9 x 13–inch casserole dish and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Fry the breaded eggplant slices until they are deep golden brown on each side. As they brown, transfer them to a large platter.
Place a layer of the eggplant slices on top of the tomato sauce in the baking dish, slightly overlapping them. Spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce over the slices, then about a third of the grated cheese. Continue making layers until all the eggplant and cheese are used. Finish off the top layer with more tomato sauce.
Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to sit for 15 minutes before cutting it. Serve warm or at room temperature. This dish is even better made a day ahead of time. Cut it when cold for neat even pieces.
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