Recipe and Wine Pairing

In a previous article on seasonal ingredients and typical recipes of the Italian summer, we found one that appears everywhere, a kind of common denominator, the universally loved Eggplant Parmigiana.
Many Italian regions claim to be the original home of this delicious dish, which has found the right combination of eggplant, tomatoes, Parmigiano (or Pecorino or Grana Padano cheese), basil and mozzarella.

According to historians, two clues support the hypothesis of Sicilian origins.
Clue 1. In the Middle Ages, eggplants were brought to Europe by the Arabs, who made it known in Sicily and Spain (Montanari, 2015).
Clue 2. The term “parmigiana” might derive from the Sicilian word “parmiciana” – the set of wooden strips that form a shutter – which recalls the layering of the eggplants in the dish (Lanari, 2017).
There are many versions of Eggplant Parmigiana. My favorite is oven baked, and similar to the recipe of one of my favorite Italian food bloggers, Chiarapassion (Panariello, 2020).

(Note on photos. At the first attempt to photograph this dish, when I took my fragrant parmigiana out of the oven, it began raining and the sky became dark, making impossible to take good photos. We ate it straight away. Two days later, I made Parmigiana again and the moment it was ready, clouds again covered the Cambridge sky. I asked my daughter what to do, and she said, “just photograph it and post it as it comes out, you will encourage those people who are not cooking experts.” I followed her advice and here it is.)

Recipe

Serves 6
Prep time 20 minutes
Baking 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants, about 28 oz*
• Provolone or Scamorza, about 10 oz**
• San Marzano tomato or other high-quality tomato, 25 oz
• Parmigiano cheese and pecorino Romano, about 2 oz
• extra virgin olive oil, 2/3 tablespoons
• breadcrumbs 3 tablespoons
• 1/2 golden onion
• basil
• salt
  

*I prefer to use large eggplants so the layers come out better
**Scamorza and provolone have less liquid than mozzarella, and they are tasty and gooey just the same

Preparation

Wash the eggplants well, then cut them into slices lengthwise with a thickness of 0.2 inches (0.5 cm).

Preheat the oven to 460 degrees. Line the pans with parchment paper, brush it with a light layer of oil, place the eggplant slices in one layer; with the tip of the knife score some grays on them without going too deeply. With the greased brush you used earlier, spread a drizzle of oil over the eggplant and bake for about 15/20 minutes. *Salt only at the end of cooking.

Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce. Blend the tomatoes. Finely chop the onion, pour a spoonful of oil into the pan, add the onion and brown it gently, then add the blended tomato. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add the salt and basil at the end of cooking.

Spread the tomato sauce on a baking tray, and compose the Parmigiana layers as follows: place a layer of slightly overlapping eggplant slices, spread the tomato sauce over the eggplant with a spoon, place the slices of cheese next (scamorza or provolone), breadcrumbs, then finish with a sprinkling of grated cheese and chopped basil. Continue until you run out of ingredients. Add a thin drizzle of oil to the last layer.

Bake in a hot oven at 460° for about 20 minutes. Let the Parmigiana rest for about 10-15 minutes, then serve. It is even better the next day, after resting in the refrigerator, and is excellent even cold.

Enjoy your meal!

Tips

If you have time, cover the Parmigiana with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. This allows the various flavors to infuse all ingredients and create a truly mouth-watering blend.

References

Alaimo, M. (2016, June 29). È arrivata la regina dell’estate: sei vini per la parmigiana di melanzane. Slowine. https://www.slowfood.it/slowine/arrivata-la-regina-dellestate-6-vini-la-parmigiana-melanzane/

Garofalo, R. (2023, January 19). Parmigiana di Melanzane: che vino abbinare? • Decanto Wine Blog – Recensioni vini, abbinamenti e migliori cantine. Decanto Wine Blog – Recensioni Vini, Abbinamenti E Migliori Cantine. https://decanto.wine/parmigiana-melanzane-quale-vino-abbinare/

Lanari, M. (2017, August 29). Le melanzane alla parmigiana: siciliane, emiliane o napoletane? La Cucina Italiana. https://www.lacucinaitaliana.it/news/in-primo-piano/storia-e-origine-delle-melanzane-alla-parmigiana/

Montanari, M. (2015). Il riposo della polpetta e altre storie intorno al cibo. Gius.Laterza & Figli Spa.

Panariello, E. (2020, August 6). Parmigiana di melanzane grigliate (veloce senza frittura). Chiarapassion.com. https://www.chiarapassion.com/2020/08/parmigiana-di-melanzane-grigliate.html

Quattrocalici. (n.d.). Gioia del Colle DOC rosato. Quattrocalici. Retrieved July 17, 2023, from https://www.quattrocalici.it/tipologie-vino/gioia-del-colle-doc-rosato/

Tannico.it. (2019). Vini da abbinare alle melanzane alla parmigiana. Tannico.it. https://www.tannico.it/abbinamenti/piatti/primi-e-risotti/vini-da-abbinare-alle-melanzane-alla-parmigiana.html