Claudio’s Aubergine Parmigiana Recipe

This Claudio’s Aubergine Parmigiana is a crispy and cheesy recipe, which is made with smoked scamorza and fresh buffalo mozzarella. It’s a restaurant-quality dish, perfect for a special dinner and ready in about an hour.

Claudio’s Aubergine Parmigiana Ingredients

For the Parmigiana:

• 1 large aubergine (400g)
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 50g plain flour
• olive oil, for frying
• 150g scamorza (smoked mozzarella)
• 50g buffalo mozzarella
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 40g Parmesan cheese
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the Tomato Sauce:

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 bunch of fresh basil (30g)
• 1 x 400g tin of quality plum tomatoes
• Sea salt and black pepper

How To Make Claudio’s Aubergine Parmigiana

1. Prep and Fry the Aubergine: Peel the aubergine, setting the skin aside. Slice the aubergine into ½cm-thick rounds and season with salt. Whisk the eggs in one shallow bowl and place the flour in another. Heat about ½cm of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Working in batches, coat each aubergine disc in flour, then dip in the egg, and carefully place in the hot oil. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
2. Make the Tomato Sauce: In a separate pan, sauté the finely sliced garlic and basil stalks in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 2 minutes until golden. Scrunch in the tinned tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened. Stir in finely sliced basil leaves a few minutes before the end.
3. Fry the Aubergine Skin: While the sauce simmers, finely slice the reserved aubergine skin into matchsticks. In the frying pan used for the aubergine discs, turn the heat up to high and fry the skin for 1 to 2 minutes until super-crisp. Drain on paper towels.
4. Assemble the Parmigiana: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). In 4 small ovenproof dishes, begin layering: a spoonful of sauce, a slice of fried aubergine, another spoonful of sauce, a slice of scamorza, a little buffalo mozzarella, a sprinkle of oregano, and a few basil leaves. Repeat the layers twice more, finishing with a final layer of aubergine and a good grating of Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake and Serve: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese is melted, golden, and bubbling. Serve immediately with the crispy aubergine skin sprinkled over the top and a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Recipe Tips

• Why fry the aubergine skin? This is a brilliant chef’s trick that uses the whole vegetable and creates a unique, crispy garnish that adds an amazing texture to the finished dish.
• What is scamorza cheese? Scamorza is an Italian cheese similar to mozzarella, but it’s drier and often smoked (scamorza affumicata). The smoky flavor adds a wonderful depth to the parmigiana.
• How to get a non-soggy parmigiana? The key is frying the aubergine slices first. The flour and egg coating creates a barrier that prevents the aubergine from absorbing too much sauce and becoming mushy.
• Can I make this in one large dish? Yes, absolutely. If you don’t have individual dishes, you can assemble the parmigiana in a single, larger baking dish. You may need to increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes.

What To Serve With Aubergine Parmigiana

This rich and satisfying dish is a star on its own, but it pairs beautifully with:

• A loaf of crusty Italian bread to mop up the sauce
• A simple, crisp green salad with a lemon vinaigrette
• A glass of light Italian red wine, like a Chianti

How To Store Aubergine Parmigiana

• Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container (or cover the individual dishes) in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Reheating: Reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. The crispy skin garnish is best made fresh.
• Freeze: It’s not ideal to freeze the assembled dish as the texture of the cheese and fried coating can change.

Aubergine Parmigiana Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 500-600 kcal
• Fat: 35g
• Carbohydrates: 25g
• Protein: 20g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

Try More Recipes:

• Sticky Teriyaki Aubergine Recipe
• Miso-grilled Aubergine & Cucumber Pickle Rice Bowl Recipe
• Jamie Oliver Air Fryer Sticky Aubergine Noodles