Melanzane Alla Parmigiana

TV and Film star Debi Mazar (Entourage, Goodfellas) and her Tuscan husband Gabriele Corcos make real home-style Italian classics.

” Let’s not indulge in conversation, here’s a new recipe that deserves and demands your full attention... This one “has to be scheduled”; so, crack out your device, punch in your grocery list, and come back to this page next weekend...when you got some time...and cook!!!

Note: You also have to cook a pot of Red Sauce, here we wrote the recipe again, but in case you feel compelled...you can check out our Pilot Episode, now you have the video for the Sauce as well!
Enjoy!

We ate: Eggplant Parmesan
We drank: Montesodi Riserva 2004 from Ferscobaldi’s Castello di Nipozzano.”

A few hours in advance (about 2 or 3), rinse the Eggplants well and slice them thin.

Layer the slices on a tray, covering every layer with a generous sprinkle of sea salt; this will extract water from the vegetable, making it lighter and easier to cook.
Use a food processor to grate the Parmesan and the Mozzarella.
Chop the Onion medium-fine, peel the Garlic and cut the cloves in thirds.
Rinse the Basil thoroughly.

RED SAUCE
In about 3 Tbsp of Olive Oil, sauté the chopped Onion on a medium high flame, when it starts to brown add the garlic, and in about three-five minutes add the Pelati (you can process them in a mixer to speed up the cooking time and to make the sauce a bit thinner). Add half of the Basil, season with Salt and Pepper, and cook for about 30-40 minutes on a medium flame. Set aside.

MELANZANE ALA PARMIGIANA (Eggplant Parmesan)
Preheat your oven to 400 F.
In a wide plate pour a few tablespoons of Flour, dip the Eggplant slices in it and fry them lightly in Canola Oil, using a large non-stick pan. As they finish cooking, take them out of the pan and lay them on some paper towel in a couple of trays. Let them dry and cool off.
In a disposable tray (you already have enough dishes to wash) sprinkle a bit of Olive Oil and start layering your ingredients: a few slices of Eggplant, some Red Sauce, a couple of handfuls of Mozzarella, a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan, a few leaves of Basil, a little touch of Salt and Pepper…make sure you do not over salt!

Keep on layering the ingredients, until you reach the top of the tray, top it with some Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Parmesan and put in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.

At the end of the cooking time, if needed, you can broil the Melanzane for a couple of minutes to add a delicious crisp factor to the top of your new fabulous dish!
Serve garnished with a few leaves of Basil, a sprinkle of Parmesan, a touch of Olive Oil and some freshly ground Pepper.

Buon Appetito!
Debi and Gabriele