my Dad's eggplant parmigiana is our hero dish. it's the one my sister requests regularly ever since she left home; it's the dish I boast about to friends and strangers alike; equal has not yet been seen, though there have been challenges. there are a multitude of reasons why it's the best, but mostly it's because Dad's spent years perfecting the recipe, and it takes a lot of work.
now in most versions of the dish, which originated in Naples or the surrounding region (or possibly one of the nearby islands? Ischia?) you fry the eggplant before baking the dish. this is pretty much essential otherwise you end up with a tyre lasagna thing. some healthy people steam or boil their slices first; just forget about that. the great thing about eggplant is its ability to suck up oil and flavours. some people simply fry the prepared slices, some dredge them in flour first, but Dad's version is superior because he goes the whole deal and crumbs each slice (flour, egg, breadcrumbs) and then fries them in good olive oil til they're just golden. you can't use vegetable oil, the olive oil adds to the flavour of the final dish.
but before you get to that stage, there's the salting. in Australia eggplants are rarely so bitter that you need to salt them. when JG and I cook with eggplant we don't salt it, and if there is a hint of bitterness it adds to the dish. but for this parmigiana, the quarter-inch thick slices get sprinkled on both sides with salt and left for an hour to drain. once the juices have drawn they need to be rinsed off and patted dry with kitchen towel.
and there's also the sauce. our family sauce recipe always has canned or bottled tomatoes, an onion and garlic soffrito, bay leaves, pepper and salt, simmered for an hour or more.
so once you've set aside a few hours you get the sauce on the stove, salt the eggplants and leave them to de-bitter while the sauce is simmering away. then you rinse the slices, dry them, crumb and fry them. have some cheese grated ready for the assembly: parmesan or pecorino is essential, and mozarella or or any semi-hard cheese you can grate.
in your baking dish you start with a layer of sauce then a layer or eggplant, then cover with sauce and cheese. another layer of eggplant, sauce and cheese and continue until all the eggplant is finished. top with more cheese and bake for about 25 minutes at 150c. the secret to a well formed parmigiana is a thick sauce used in the right quantity- you can't have your eggplant slices swimming about or the whole thing will fall apart when you try to slice it. it also attains a better firmness if you cook it beforehand then reheat to serve.
it's a lot of effort so make a big tray and give the kids a foil package to ensure they don't starve for the next week! It keeps well in the fridge and is good hot or cold.
