From My Italian Kitchen: Eggplant Stacks

Eggplant, melanzane in Italian, is a bit of a tricky vegetable. It looks gorgeous. If I were painting a still life there would definitely be a perfect, round bottomed purple eggplant in it. But for years I avoided eating it, having had a few too many encounters with mushy and overcooked or greasy, oversauced eggplant dishes.

And then one day, on a visit to Bologna, I had a bite of a friends melanzane alla parmigiana at a little out of the way restaurant called Osteria Santa Caterina. And - wow - love at first bite. The eggplant was perfectly cooked, not at all mushy. There wasn’t a bit of grease, and both the cheese and sauce were used sparingly. I’ve ordered that dish each time I’ve visited Bologna and it never disappoints. Still, I didn’t think I could ever cook eggplant myself.

Fast forward to this September. Returning to Italy after a visit to the US necessitated a strict 2 week quarantine. That meant two things - I had plenty of time to experiment in the kitchen and I was dependent on friends to help supply me with fresh foods. Lucky for me I have terrific friends who stocked my fridge before my arrival and deposited all kinds of goodies at my doorstep! One of the “care packages” I received was overflowing with gorgeous fruits and veggies - just picked grapes, tomatoes, peppers, some fresh basil, and two beautiful melanzane. Determined to make something delicious with this bounty, I decided to experiment. I did a little research beforehand on how to avoid the mush. The secret is the same one I use when prepping spaghetti squash - a heavy sprinkle of salt on the raw sliced eggplant to draw out the moisture prior to cooking. With that in mind I proceeded without a recipe, using ingredients I had on hand that were similar to the ingredients in a parmigiana. The result was wonderful - lovely stacks of eggplant slices slightly breaded and crisped in just a touch of oil, topped with a slice of ripe tomato, a fresh basil leaf, a sprinkle of parmesan, and a slice of fresh mozzarella. No sauce at all. Although I had intended this as a side dish, it ended up as my main dish - a hearty yet vegetarian meal with that farm to table essence that makes Italian food so wonderful. I will be making this dish again - and I hope you will give it a try too!

Eggplant rounds, lightly breaded and fried, ready for toppings!

Eggplant Stacks

I medium size eggplant (the larger ones tend to be tough)

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Plain fine breadcrumbs

Vegetable oil

I large ripe tomato

Fresh basil leaves

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 large round of fresh mozzarella

Salt to taste

Slice eggplant into rounds about 1 inch thick, lay on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt. Let sit for 15 minutes and then wipe pooled water and salt away.

Dip each round into egg mixture and then into bread crumbs to lightly coat both sides.

Perfectly ripe tomatoes are a key part of this dish

In a large frying pan, heat enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan. When hot, place the rounds of eggplant in and fry for a few minutes each side until the bread crumbs are crisp and golden and eggplant has softened.

Remove from pan and place slices of eggplant on a baking sheet. Top each round with 1 slice tomato, a pinch of salt, a basil leaf, a sprinkle of Parmesan, and a slice of mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees x 15 minutes. Serve right away.