serves
2
prep
25 minutes
cook
1 hour
difficulty
Mid
serves
2
people
preparation
25
minutes
cooking
1
hour
difficulty
Mid
level
The key to an epic eggplant parmigiana is that thing that marries it all together - the cheese! The sauce has to be nice and rich and with only a few ingredients it's comfort food 101.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2 large eggplants
- 300 ml vegetable oil, for shallow frying
- 1 fresh buffalo mozzarella, sliced
- 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano or Padano, grated
- 100 g Provolone piccante cheese, grated
- 50 g Pecorino Auricchio, grated
- 100 g leg ham (not smoked)
- 50 g breadcrumbs
Sauce
- 100 ml olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 700 g tomato passata
- 1 small bunch basil, leaves picked
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Place the egg in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 7 minutes or until hard-boiled. Refresh the egg in cold water, then peel and coarsely chop.
Meanwhile, to make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until starting to brown. Increase the heat to high, then add the tomato passata, a few basil leaves and the sugar. Season to taste, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Peel the eggplants, reserve the skin and cut the eggplant into 1 cm thick rounds.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or saucepan and bring to 180˚C. Fry the eggplants for 3 minutes or until golden. Drain on a tray lined with paper towel. Deep-fry the reserved eggplant skins until golden and crisp. Drain on the tray with the eggplant.
Once the sauce is ready, you are ready to assemble the dish. Spoon a layer of sauce into a small ovenproof dish. Top with a layer of eggplant, then a layer of each of the cheeses, the ham, egg and a few basil leaves. Top with another layer of eggplant and some of the breadcrumbs, then repeat the layers until the dish is full. Finish with some sauce and a sprinkling of Parmigiano and Auricchio. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Serve warm, scattered with the fried eggplant peel and basil leaves.
This recipe is from Series 2 of airing weeknights at 6pm on SBS. Episodes will be available after broadcast via . Join the conversation #TheChefsLine on Instagram , Facebook and Twitter . Check out for episode guides, cuisine lowdowns, recipes and more!
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
The key to an epic eggplant parmigiana is that thing that marries it all together - the cheese! The sauce has to be nice and rich and with only a few ingredients it's comfort food 101.
