Conceptual Eggplant Parmigiana - Chef Gian Marco CARLI (☆ Michelin) - POMPEII

• Recipe
  CONCEPTUAL EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA
• Wine Pairing
  CHARDONNAY 2019 Ômina Romana Line

• Ingredients for 4 people
  - 500 gr of long eggplants
  - 4 medium eggplants, about 13/14 cm
  - 500 gr of fiordilatte mozzarella
  - 1.5 kg of San Marzano peeled tomatoes
  - 200 gr of panko breadcrumbs
  - 2 medium eggs
  - 2 cloves of garlic
  - 2 bunches of basil
  - 200 gr of 36-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano
  - Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  - Salt and pepper to taste
  - 150 gr of all-purpose flour
  - 2 liters of sunflower oil
  
  
• Recipe Instructions
  1. Start with the classic eggplant parmigiana: peel the 500 gr of eggplants and slice them ½ centimeter thick, keeping the skins for a later step. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and lightly salt them to help draw out the excess water. After half an hour, squeeze the eggplants well and set aside.
  2. Cook the tomatoes with two unpeeled garlic cloves, a little oil, and a few basil leaves. Let them simmer for 5 minutes after coming to a boil, then season with salt, add a drizzle of raw oil, and pass through a food mill.
  3. Chop the mozzarella.
  4. Pour 2 liters of oil into a pot and heat to 170°. Fry the eggplant slices until golden brown, then drain on absorbent paper.
  5. In a baking dish, cover the bottom with tomato sauce and start layering the eggplants, mozzarella, Parmigiano, and basil. Repeat this process to create 4 layers.
  (Arrange the eggplants in opposite directions, vertical and horizontal)
  

  6. Bake at 180° for 22 minutes and then cool.
  7. Reheat the oil to 145°. Take the medium eggplants that we left whole, pierce them with a toothpick (at least 15/20 holes), and cook them covered with a lid for 4 minutes (be very careful, the thermal shock can cause the eggplants to explode). After the cooking time, drain them on absorbent paper.
  8. Let them cool and then peel the eggplants. Cut them in half and, using a spoon, remove the seedy inner part, being careful not to break them, and put them in the fridge to firm up.
  Using a food processor, blend the parmigiana we cooked earlier until you get a homogeneous and compact mixture.
  9. Meanwhile, gather all the eggplant skins previously peeled and bake them at 120° for 40 minutes until dehydrated. Cool and blend until you get a powder, which you will mix with the panko breadcrumbs.
  10. Take the peeled eggplants from the fridge, fill them with the eggplant parmigiana mixture, a strip of mozzarella, and some Parmigiano. Close the eggplant and reshape it to its original form. 
  11. Flour the reshaped eggplants, then dip them in beaten egg, and finally in the panko breadcrumb and eggplant powder mix. Fry at 165° for 3 minutes.

• Plating
  
  In a deep dish, cover the bottom with tomato sauce, a few fresh basil leaves, a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil, and place the eggplant on top.

• Chef GIAN MARCO CARLI

• Restaurant
  IL PRINCIPE (☆ Michelin) 
  https://www.ilprincipe.com/
  
  
• Where
  Via Colle San Bartolomeo n.4 / 8 - Pompei (Na) 80045 Italia
  

CAMPAIGN FINANCED ACCORDING TO (EC) REGULATION NO: 1398/2013