I could almost call these mini parmigiana, but there is no Parmesan, so I am not quite sure. Still, same principle, but they are little individual portions, and they look quite good for a party, entree or fancy dinner.
Slice the eggplants and 'sweat' with salt for at least an hour. Rinse and pat dry. At this stage you can either fry the eggplant slices (with olive oil) or grill/bake them. If you fry them they are tastier, but a bit greasy (remove excess oil with kitchen paper) and it does take time! If you decide to grill them or bake them just put them on a baking tray lined with kitchen paper, brush with olive oil and add a pinch of salt. Place under the grill or in fan oven at 180°C until they look cooked on one side, turn them over and cook them on the other side. The grill is quicker, the oven tends to dry them up, so when I turn them I also cover them with more baking paper so that they keep some 'steam'. I prefer the baking method but for special occasions I fry!! Once you have your cooked eggplants add a little Italian tomato passata sauce on top, and a bit of mozzarella (I got mine from Massimiliano il Casaro). Place back in the oven until the mozzarella starts to melt. Serve individually or stack two together (like I did). Top with fresh basil, or fresh thyme or oregano (I used thyme). Eat hot or warm. I had them cold too, ok but not as good as hot! Variations are endless, and they look like mini pizzas, but without the dough!
Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©
These look awesome! I love this idea. I always make myself an eggplant version when I make the man his parmigiana. I sometimes add a little bit of pesto too :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I had a bit of old pesto in a jar (Jamie Oliver's) and put it on one, but didn't take a photo, I ate it too quickly! Was good but fresh pesto would have been more photogenic.
DeleteYummy, I could just eat this right now, just and a class of 10 ladies making croquembouche, all that sugar needs balancing out with this.
ReplyDeleteLet's swap :-)!
DeleteDi questi sandweeches non ne avrei mai abbastanza. Li adoro :)
ReplyDeleteWow - simple and delicious!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautifully simple dish, Alessandra! I bet it tastes as amazing as it looks!
ReplyDeleteSuper simple in fact, but it tastes like hours of work!
DeleteUna ricetta deliziosa e saporitissima! Mi fa tornare con la mente all'amata estate... Un abbraccio! :)
ReplyDeletePer fortuna qui sta arrivando, e queste sono le prime melanzane!
ReplyDeleteThis right up my street Alessandra! What a great idea! I'm gonna have to make this : )
ReplyDeleteCool, let me know if you like it!
DeleteCiao Ale!Io anni fa avevo fatto degli involtini così, buonissimi e molto elggeri!
ReplyDeletebacione
Si anche arrotolati vanno benissimo :-)
DeleteE' vero che da te è tempo di melanzane!Il timo ci sta benissimo ;)
ReplyDeleteSi meglio di quanto pensassi, e volevo qualcosa di diverso dal solito basilico.
DeleteAlessandra ciao, non ti sento da un po', questa parmigiana mi sta facendo venire fame, io amo le melanzane, un abbraccio
ReplyDeleteCiao Tam, sono stata troppo occupata con il Festival Italiano (Ero l'organizzatrice) e non ho avuto tempo ne di scrivere ne di visitare altri blog, scusa. Ma pian piano ritorno :-)
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ReplyDeletesai che faccio spesso una cosa molto simile? con il basilico fresco poi sono una vera chiccheria :))
ReplyDelete