Eggplant Parmigiana

I was inspired to make an eggplant parmigiana for Easter dinner this year. This is unusual because, since moving to Italy, I don’t tend to make dishes such as lasagna or stuffed pasta. The reason, of course, is that even though I’m perfectly capable of making lasagna or parmigiana, all we have to do is walk into the historic center of Foligno (a 5-minute walk) and we can buy pastas that are 10 times better than anything I can make.

Now, I’ve made parmigiana before in the U.S. and, although it was good, the dish here is far superior. The main reason being the basic ingredients here in Italy are virtually impossible to duplicate back home. Sure, you can purchase good imported mozzarella and parmigiano-reggiano cheeses. Eggplant isn’t hard to find and you can also purchase or make your own tomato sauce, but, there’s something about being at “ground zero” that makes a difference.

After living here since 2014, I can tell you that, in my opinion, the eggplant in Italy is far less bitter than what you find in the states. It’s creamier and sweeter. For my parmigiana I roasted the eggplant in my toaster oven rather than dusting it with flour and pan frying it. I also followed a very basic recipe for a tomato-basil sauce, which was perfect with this dish.

Making parmigiana is not difficult. It’s simply a matter of layering tomato sauce, slices of eggplant, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese in a baking dish. I did 3 layers. Bake it for about hour at 350 F or 180 C and that’s it!