Weekly Recipe: Eggplant Parmigiana By Il Mulino New York

In the mood for a classic? Il Mulino New York brings traditional Italian to unparalleled heights, drawing celebrity clientele to its various locations across the city to enjoy comfort food done with class—but you don’t have to travel to NYC to get in on the fun.

Il Mulino chef Michele Mazza has perfected the restaurant’s menu over 40 years. It takes its cues from the Abruzzese region in central Italy, and one of chef’s star dishes is the eggplant parmigiana.

See also: 20 of the Best Italian Restaurants Across America

Today, he invites you to take a vacation of the senses by sharing his recipe with our readers below!

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This recipe reflects a classic Neapolitan eggplant parmigiana, though chef Mazza explains that you can cheese it up by adding mozzarella cheese between each layer of eggplant.

He’s included many tips and tricks to make this the best eggplant parm you’ve ever made, like salting the vegetables a few minutes before cooking to ensure no bitterness. He also includes directions for making his special red sauce. When he says to use Marzano tomatoes, he means it!

This will make plenty to feed your family. Of course, leftovers taste better the next day—if there are any!

Eggplant Parmigiana

Ingredients:

• 1 black eggplant (needs to be hard as it means it's fresh)
• Sea salt
• Ground pepper
• Drizzle of olive oil
• 2 tsp olive oil
• ½ tsp crushed garlic
• 2 cups of San Marzano tomatoes
• 2-3 leaves of Basil
• 1 tbs Parmesan cheese
• Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel the eggplant's skin and then cut the eggplant into 8 slices. Slices should be around ¾ inch thick each.
2. Put sea salt on both sides and place in a strainer. Leave for 25 minutes. The salt's purpose is to remove the bitterness from the eggplant.
3. After 25 minutes, rinse the salt off the eggplant on both sides with cold water.
4. Dry the eggplant with a dry towel on both sides. It needs to be very dry.
5. Turn the barbecue on and let it warm up to 375 degrees for minutes.
6. Drizzle EVOO onto both sides of the eggplant along with sea salt and ground pepper, and place in a dish.
7. When the barbecue temperature is ready, grill the eggplant for 2 minutes on each side.
8. Place the eggplant on a dish and set it to the side so that it may cool off.
9. In a saucepan, add 2 teaspoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon crushed garlic and two cups of San Marzano tomatoes or (Il Mulino Marinara Sauce).
10. Once the garlic is brown, mix in the tomatoes, then chop 2 to 3 basil leaves and add to the sauce.
11. Ensure the sauce is being cooked on low heat. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat.
12. On a glass baking dish, apply a layer of sauce at the bottom and then place 2 slices of eggplant on top of the sauce.
13. Add 1 to 2 spoons of sauce over the 2 slices of eggplant, and add 1 spoon of parmesan cheese over the slices. Top with chopped basil. (Repeat this step until you have 3 layers on each eggplant parmigiana).
14. Pour the remaining sauce on top of the 2 eggplants. Make sure that both eggplants are fully covered in sauce. Lastly, drizzle olive oil and crushed black pepper.
15. Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees. Place the glass baking dish with eggplants in the oven for 15 minutes.
16. After cooking, let the eggplant settle for 15 to 20 minutes.

Visit Il Mulino in NYC and online for more delicious dishes and inspiration.