Paola's Parmigiana Di Melanzana
The parmigiana di melanzana is another glorious Neapolitan dish, a constant presence in the summer, which is delicious warm with its melted mozzarella, as well as cold.
Apparently, the parmigiana has existed for over two centuries, because the recipe appears in the first Neapolitan recipe book Il Cuoco Galante, written by Vincenzo Corrado, which dates back to 1765. It’s also interesting to note that we share a similar recipe with the Provencal cuisine, which of course is not surprising having been dominated by the French for over 200 years (Angevin and Napoleonic).
It is a very simple recipe whose main ingredients are aubergines, tomatoes, parmesan, mozzarella and basil. There are many versions of this recipe as some people coat each slice of aubergine in flour and beaten eggs before frying them (indorare e friggere), but I much prefer the simpler version, faithful to my mamma’s teaching.
It can be enjoyed warm with mozzarella filante or cold. It is also delicious the following day and can be the perfect filling for a sandwich to bring to the beach, or onto a little boat like my father’s, eaten between a swim and an afternoon of dolce non fare niente (literally - ‘sweet do nothing’) sunbathing.
Parmigiana is a staple dish of the Neapolitan summer
Recipe
Ingredients (for 6 people)
2 large aubergines
Oil to fry (a full pan)
2 x 400gr tins plum tomatoes or 1kg fresh cherry tomatoes
2 x garlic cloves finely chopped
300gr mozzarella
8 tbsp grated parmesan
Salt & pepper
A few chopped basil leaves
Ideally, we would buy the aubergines from a little Neapolitan street market. Photo by Bertrand Borie on Unsplash
Slice the aubergines lengthwise to about half centimetre thickness and sprinkle some salt over them to get rid of the bitterness, then rinse and squeeze all the water off.
Fry in lots of hot oil and place on some kitchen roll to absorb excess oil.
Prepare the sauce by frying a couple of finely chopped garlic cloves in extra virgin olive oil (very little - 1 or 2 tablespoons), then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for about 15 minutes.
Arrange the aubergine slices in a baking dish, alternating the layers with tomato sauce, parmesan, sliced mozzarella, grated parmesan and basil finishing off with a final layer of tomato sauce.
Bake in a hot oven for 30 mins and serve warm or cold.
Eat leisurely on the beach overlooking Naples Bay - or given the current travel restrictions, in your back garden.
Paola is our in-house cook, here at the House of Talents. She is offering Italian inspired cookery classes for adults & kids.
Times: 3pm on Tuesdays and Fridays (60 mins).
We are asking for a £5 donation for group sessions (with a minimum of 5 people per session).
Please get in touch with Paola to sign up for one of her group classes, or to book a one-to-one session.
Email: paolacimmino3@gmail.com
Instagram: @cucina_cimmino
Paola is a member of the House of Talents , a community of established actors, performers, writers, musicians, mindfulness coaches and meditation teachers offering online creative courses. All of our coaches and teachers are top of their field, with years of experience. The classes include meditation, mindfulness, kundalini yoga and Reiki, as well as creative writing, physical theatre, clowning and dance coaching. 10% of what we earn is donated to charity.
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