Eggplants alla parmigiana

What to do with all the beautiful eggplants in my basket of vegetables?

My husband, who has lived in Milan, is a great lover of Italian cuisine, and the whole family is in love with this beautiful country !! We wanted to prepare a traditional recipe from southern Italy, melanzane alla parmigiana.

"Alla parmigiana" is a traditional way to cook vegetables in layers with tomato and Italian cheese (pecorino, mozzarella, scarmozza, parmegiano reggiano ...)

The result is a delicious vegetarian dish, colorful and juicy (vegan version possible with vegan cheese ...)

This dish is for about 10-12 people.

Preparation of homemade tomato sauce

You can prepare the sauce the day before and keep it in the fridge.

• 2 kg of beautiful ripe tomatoes
• 1 large white onion, peeled, chopped and finely chopped
• 2 garlic heads, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, which you will chop
• 8 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of sugar (according to your taste)
• salt and pepper to your taste

Preparation

1. Peel and seed tomatoes, cut into large pieces
2. In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat, and fry the onion until translucent. Add garlic, tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Simmer, uncovered and over low heat for two hours.
4. If you wish, you can reduce the sauce puree, add the basil and cook again between 5 and 10 minutes.

Preparation of eggplants alla parmigiana

• 6 beautiful firm eggplants
• Fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 200 gr of mozzarella
• 125 gr grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup of olive oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 380 ° F (190 ° C)

1. Stir aubergines, and cut in length into 1-cm thick strips.
2. Brush these strips with olive oil.
3. On a baking sheet, covered with parchment paper, place the eggplant slices. Cook them between 10 and 15 minutes on each side.
4. Take a lasagna dish, pour a thin layer of tomato sauce, sprinkle with parmesan, and cover with a layer of eggplant. Repeat until all ingredients are used. Finish with a layer of tomato sauce, covered with parmesan and mozzarella.
5. For decoration, crumble the fresh basil leaves on this last layer. Put in the oven for 30 minutes until the top becomes golden.

Serve hot.

A thought for our Italian friends ...