Eggplant Parmigiana by CiaoEze

Name: Eggplant Parmigiana by CiaoEze
Total time: 4800 s
Yield: Serves 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 long purple eggplants; 7 oz cooked smoked ham (Prague-style) (about 200 grams); 10 1/2 oz fresh smoked buffalo scamorza cheese (about 300 grams); Some sheets of crisp flatbread (such as pane carasau or carta musica); 2 cups cherry tomato purée (about 500 ml); 7 oz Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (about 200 grams); 2 cups peanut oil (about 1/2 liter); A few fresh basil leaves; 1 handful coarse salt; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Gianfranco Portuese @cook_22810876

Parmigiana is such a staple in Italian cuisine that it crosses all regional boundaries, resulting in countless local variations. Today, I decided to give the dish a twist by making individual mini casseroles that bring together flavors from different regions of Italy!

Gianfranco Portuese @cook_22810876

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Ingredients

1 hour 20 minutes

Serves 4 servings

4long purple eggplants
7 ozcooked smoked ham (Prague-style) (about 200 grams)
10 1/2 ozfresh smoked buffalo scamorza cheese (about 300 grams)
Some sheets of crisp flatbread (such as pane carasau or carta musica)
2 cupscherry tomato purée (about 500 ml)
7 ozParmigiano Reggiano cheese (about 200 grams)
2 cupspeanut oil (about 1/2 liter)
A fewfresh basil leaves
1 handfulcoarse salt
2 tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil

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Steps

1 hour 20 minutes

1

First, slice the eggplants into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and sprinkle them with coarse salt. Let them sit for about 20 minutes to draw out excess moisture. Keep the slices in order so you can reassemble the eggplants in their original shape later.
2

While the eggplants rest with the salt, prepare the other ingredients. Sauté 1/2 yellow onion in a little extra virgin olive oil, then add the cherry tomato purée and a pinch of salt. Let it simmer gently.
3

Slice the scamorza cheese, grate the Parmigiano, and cut the flatbread and ham (sliced twice as thick as usual) into appropriately sized pieces.
4

Pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels and fry them in peanut oil, keeping the slices in order for reassembly. Fry over high heat for just a few minutes, without fully cooking the eggplant—they will finish cooking in the oven.
5

Once all the eggplant slices are golden, start assembling by stacking the slices back into the original eggplant shape. Layer ham, scamorza, flatbread, a spoonful of sauce (to which you’ve added torn basil leaves and a generous amount of grated Parmigiano off the heat) between each slice.
6

As you finish assembling each stuffed eggplant, secure them with a few skewers to keep them from falling apart in the oven. I even made a sort of scaffold with long skewers to hold the stacks together.
7

Once everything is secured, finish by spooning more sauce over the top and sides, then sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano. Bake in a convection oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before removing the skewers, and serve while still warm. I served this dish with a glass of Primitivo MEVIREM IGP, made from late-harvest grapes.