memorial day italian recipe light parmigiana

Memorial day Italian recipe:
Light Parmigiana

I decided to dedicate a recipe to Memorial day, a very important day for all my American friends. Memorial day is an occasion to be together with family and friends, maybe with a nice BBQ lunch in your garden. Fire up the grill and go!

My Memorial day recipe is this light Parmigiana. Don’t let the title confuse you: “light” absolutely does not mean without flavour! On the contrary! I simply grilled the eggplant instead of frying them, as the original recipe want them cooked.

Then you add lots of good tomato sauce, cheese and basil: light Parmigiana is a perfect accompaniment to your Memorial day BBQ lunch outdoors.

Parmigiana… but a little reworked. In the original recipe the eggplant is first fried, but today I decided to make it healthier. So, in my Parmigiana recipe you will not find fried, but grilled aubergines. Believe me, however, that no trait of its magnificent delicacy has been lost. Have you ever tried it before ?!

memorial day parmigiana

The importance of the Memorial day

For my non US friends, Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The holiday is now observed on the last Monday of May, having been observed on May 30 from 1868 to 1970.

Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial start of summer in the United States, while Labor Day, the first Monday of September, marks the unofficial start of autumn.

light parmigiana recipe

Memorial day italian recipe: light Parmigiana

Vittoria
In the original recipe the eggplant is first fried, but today I decided to make it healthier.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2-3 eggplants
  • 1 l tomato sauce
  • 200 g scamorza cheese, or mozzarella cheese or pecorino cheese
  • 150 g grated Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh basil
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Crush the unpeeled garlic with your hands and fry it in a saucepan for a few minutestogether with a few tablespoons of oil.
  • Once it is well colored, remove the garlic and pour the tomato sauce into the saucepan. Add salt and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  • In the meantime, wash the aubergines and cut them into slices about 1-2 cm thick.
  • Sprinkle a pan with a drizzle of oil and grill the aubergines until they acquire anice golden color. You can also grill them for few minutes directly on the grill. Finally salt them.
  • So whip up your parmigiana: pour a ladle of tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, place a slice of eggplant, continue with 2 basil leaves, another ladle of tomato, a snow of grated parmesan and finally a slice of provola. Continue in this order and complete 3 layers: finish with a slice of eggplant, aladle of tomato and a snowfall of Parmesan.
  • Bake at 200 °C (392 °F) for about 10 minutes, or until a delicious crust.

FOOD & WINE PAIRING

PIERLUIGI’S ADVICE

FOOD & WINE PAIRING

PIERLUIGI’S ADVICE

pinot

Pinot Grigio GoldVine
IGT White Blend of Pinot Grigio from Veneto, Italy

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