Aubergine parmigiana recipe | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook Jamie Oliver aubergine? ›

Method. Prick the aubergines, then carefully blacken them over a direct flame on the hob (or under the grill), turning with tongs until soft inside.

What do eggplants go with? Flavourings: garlic, chilli, onion, basil, mint, cumin, parsley, coriander, oregano.

Soak eggplant slices or cubes in milk for about 30 minutes before cooking. The milk not only tempers the bitterness, but it actually makes for eggplant that is extra creamy, since the vegetable acts like a sponge and soaks up a good amount of milk in its flesh.

The peel of an eggplant is completely edible. However, as the eggplant grows bigger and matures, the peel may become tough and bitter. People often prefer to peel larger eggplants because of this, but smaller eggplants do just fine unpeeled. It ends up being a matter of personal preference.

Key Ingredients in Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant: Eggplant is proverbially the “meat” of this dish. You can use Italian or globe varieties, and unlike some traditional recipes, there is no need to salt and drain conventional eggplant, which is less bitter these days.

– Not frying or baking properly: If you don't pre-cook the eggplant slices (either by frying or baking), the moisture from the raw eggplant will release into the dish as it cooks, making the parmesan soggy.

Eggplant parmesan is a lot healthier for you than chicken, but it comes at the cost of being a lot less filling. If you want a full meal, chicken parm is a better option. If you're looking for nutritional benefits first, eggplant parmesan will be your friend.

The dish is claimed by both Campania and Sicily. While "parmigiana" means "from Parma" (in Northern Italy), the dish is not part of Parma food. It is based on melanzane alla parmigiana (alt. parmigiana di melanzane) or eggplant parmigiana (or eggplant Parmesan), a classic Southern Italian dish.

Why is eggplant parmesan so high in calories? ›

Eggplant parmigiana, or eggplant parmesan, is an Italian food made from layers of deep-fried slices of eggplant, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Although it's considered a vegetarian dish, eggplant parmesan is traditionally made with full-fat mozzarella and parmesan cheese, making it high in calories and fat.

A backgrounder on one of Italy's most adored summer dishes.

The Arabs introduced the eggplant to the island, where today, most of Italy's eggplant is cultivated. However, some posit that the dish first originated in Campania, where one of the best-known eggpalnt varieties, the Violetta di Napoli, is grown.

Global Eggplant Consumption

With nearly X thousand tons, China became the world's leading eggplant consuming country, making up X% of global consumption.

Brush the flesh side with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the aubergines, flesh-side down, in a grill pan or baking tray and grill for 10–12 minutes, until leathery and soft. Turn the aubergines over and grill for a further 5 minutes.

A useful tip to prevent sogginess and greasiness is to salt sliced or diced eggplant and let it sit for an hour. This helps to draw out moisture. Next, rinse and drain any liquid from the sliced eggplant, then pat dry before cooking. This will further soften the eggplant preventing it from soaking up fat while cooking.

The British word for eggplant is aubergine, which has French, Catalan, and Arabic origins. Some say the less common white varieties of the typically purple plant led to the name used in the United States, but the terms are generally interchangeable regardless of color or shape.

The skin is edible, so you can leave it on when preparing eggplant. Cut off the stem and then cut into your desired shape—slices and cubes are popular options. Cut off and discard any parts that are turning brown. Those parts are more bitter than the normally creamy white interior.