Sicilian and Neapolitan Parmigiana

Differently from what an Italian may think, the traditional dish called Parmigiana doesn’t come from the city of Parma (northern Italy), but from the south, from the ancient Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

This is the reason why we have two versions of this simple but very intense-flavoured dish’s recipe.

This is the Sicilian one, called “Parmiciana” in Palermo, according to the disposition of the eggplants stripes that recalls the thin plate of a shutter window. Let’s have a look at the ingredients:

• 8-10 black eggplants;
• tomato puree as needed;
• a big onion;
• caciocavallo or pecorino cheese, grated (to taste);
• basil in plenty.

Cut lengthways the eggplants in half a centimetre slices (0, 19 inches circa) and fry them. Leave them on the kitchen paper. 

In the meanwhile, cook the tomato puree in a pan with plenty of basil after browning a chopped onion. Add a pinch of salt and sugar and let it go for about 20 min. Then, alternate a layer of eggplants to another of tomato puree with a sprinkle of cheese, making sure to end with this latter.

If richer dishes satisfy you more, so the Neapolitan version fits for you. Besides the above mentioned ingredients, Neapolitans cookers add smoked provola cheese, grated parmesan and basil between the layers, and the eggplants are coated with flour and raw scrambled eggs before being fried.

Finally, both recipes are to be baked for 20 min to 200°C/392° F.

Which one do you prefer? There’s just one way to know…

Sources

ricettedisicilia.net - Parmigiana di melanzane

blog.giallozafferano.it - La vera parmigiana di melanzane napoletana, ricetta