Serves 4/6 persons
- 5 large long black eggplants
- 400g of mozzarella which has been left in the fridge for over 24 hours
- 700g of fresh tomato pulp
- 4 basil leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 100g of grated parmesan
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Oil for frying
- 2 tablespoons of fine table salt
Preparation
Trim the eggplant at both ends without peeling the skin. Slice lengthwise, about half a centimetre in thickness.
Arrange the slices of eggplant in a bowl and salt every layer. This aids in releasing the bitter liquids contained within the eggplant. After about one hour, squeeze the eggplant slices between your hands to eliminate as much liquid as possible. Quickly wash the slices in cold water and dry them with a dishcloth. At this point, fry the slices of eggplant in boiling water until they are golden on both sides.
In another pan, place a few tablespoons of olive oil and fry the cloves of garlic without allowing them to colour. Add the tomato pulp and after around 10 minutes, when the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat. Add the basil, salt and lightly pass the sauce through a food mill.
Now you can make the parmigiana: Grease a baking dish and place a layer of the tomato sauce, then a layer of the fried egg plant, placing them side by side without overlapping.
Place 2 tablespoons of sauce on the eggplants and uniformly spread the sauce with the aid of the tablespoon, sprinkle with a little of the parmesan and the thin slices of the mozzarella. Proceed in the same manner until you have used the ingredients.
The last layer should have slightly more sauce and sprinkling of parmesan.
Place the parmigiana in a 200 degree oven for around 35 minutes. Serve the parmigiana after it has rested for about 15 minutes.