● Sicily
Parmigiana di melanzane
Marina's recipe
For Marina, parmigiana captures Italy: beautifully fried aubergine, well-seasoned tomato sauce, basil, Parmesan and olive oil. Her first memory of this dish is in Sicily, where it's eaten cold in summer, with a good loaf of freshly baked bread. It's always a hit to bring along to a meal with friends or a Sunday lunch away from home, because there's no need to heat it up.
Time
2 hr 30 min (including resting time for the aubergine)
Servings
6
Difficulty
Medium
Before you start
- Choose good aubergines that aren't underripe or full of seeds.
- You can make this in two stages: fry the aubergine and make the sauce one afternoon, then assemble it the next day and leave it in the fridge.
Ingredients
Tick what you already have
Ingredients
If you don't have homemade sauce, use crushed tomatoes (we use the Apis brand). Passata or good-quality Spanish crushed tomatoes that aren't too watery will also work. Don't use tomate frito (Spanish ready-made fried tomato sauce).
Method
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The recipe video
Watch how we make it in our kitchen, step by step.
48,861 views on YouTube
A tip from our kitchen
Fry the aubergine in plenty of oil over medium-high heat. Take it out when it's a deep golden colour: if it turns black, it will taste bitter.
Also in the book… A quote from Marina, 4 more tips from our kitchen, 2 variations, serving ideas and a little history.
Bring Mediterranean cooking to your table
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