Melanzane alla Pizzaiolla

"Alla Pizzaiolla" means pizza-style, and that means tomato sauce and mozzarella. An awful lot of things are greatly improved by the addition of tomato sauce and mozzarella; eggplant is surely one of them. Throw in some basil, and some garlic... it has to be good. It's also pretty quick and simple to make. Some rice, quinoa, or even just some good bread and a salad will make this a complete meal. 

4 servings
1 hour prep time

500 grams (2 medium; 1 pound) eggplant
2 medium tomatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil OR oregano
180 grams (6 ounces) mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

Wash, trim, and peel - if you like - the eggplant. Cut it into 1.5 cm thick diagonal slices, and sprinkle them with salt. Spread them out on a plate, and stack another plate on top, with a weight. Let them sit for 20 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, blanch and peel the tomatoes. Cut them into slices about 1 cm thick. Peel and mince the garlic.

Rinse off the eggplant and drain it well. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet that has a lid. Fry the eggplant on both sides until browned, then reduce the heat a little. Continue cooking and turning them, until quite soft and cooked through. Add a bit more oil if needed.

While those cook, wash and chop the basil or oregano, and slice and grate the cheeses. 

Add the garlic, and mix in well until sizzling and fragrant. Add the slices of tomatoes, shifting the eggplant around to allow them to make good contact with the pan. Simmer for another 5 or more minutes, until the tomatoes are quite soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle the tomato sauce over the eggplant and tomatoes. Sprinkle the basil or oregano on, then add the slices of mozzarella evenly spaced around the pan. Sprinkle on the Parmesan. Cover the pan and let simmer for another 5 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and hot. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Pasta with Sausage, Pepper, & Onion Rosé Sauce, and also updated Lentil Loaf with Carrots.

Posted in: Ontario Food