Recipes

Eggplant Parmigiana

Trim the stem and ends of 1 large eggplant or 2 small eggplants. Slice lengthways into slice about 1.5cm thick. Sprinkle with coarse salt and place in a colander over the sink for 30-60 minutes if it’s a very large eggplant. Rinse them thoroughly under cool running water and pat dry. You don’t need to do this process for smaller, younger eggplants.

Heat up the BBQ hot plate and make sure it’s nice and hot. Grill slices of eggplant on both sides until lightly charred. If you don’t happen to have any leftover pasta sauce, make up a batch of sauce by browning an onion and some garlic in olive oil in a saucepan. Once soft, add some fresh peeled tomatoes or a tin of tomatoes, some pasatta (tomato puree) and some sea salt and basil to taste. Simmer until slightly reduced.

In a baking dish, arrange a layer of eggplants then cover with the tomato sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Continue his layering until you’ve used up all the eggplant. For something more substantial try adding some slices of salami or pepperoni to the layers. Finally top with breadcrumbs and cubes of mozzarella cheese.

Cover the dish with a lid or alfoil and slide into the wood fired oven. After about 30 minutes (if the oven is at about 200 degrees, less if it’s a bit hotter or more if it’s cooler) uncover the dish and bake until the top is browned and crisp.