Despite its name, it is not clear whether this delicious dish originally comes from Parma, or whether it comes from Southern Italy, as both Sicily and Campania lay claim to its creation. Its name is therefore possibly due to its origin in Parma, or to the abundance of Parmesan cheese in its recipe, or even to the fact that eggplants are called petronciani in Campania. According to others, the term comes from parmiciana, as are called, in Sicily, the strips of wood that make up a shutter, reminding us of the way eggplant slices are laid over the bottom of the baking dish in this recipe. Whatever its origin, the eggplant Parmesan recipe is one of the most famous and popular of the Italian cuisine worldwide.

Ingredients (serves 4 people)
3-4 round eggplants
500 g of tomatoes
2 large mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil
frying oil
basil
salt

To begin with, prepare the sauce with fresh or peeled tomatoes: put them in a pan and let them simmer for about twenty minutes with a little olive oil, salt and a pinch of sugar. When the sauce is ready, add some basil leaves to it. Now prepare the eggplants: cut them into slices about 0,5 cm thick. If you use round eggplants, you can start cooking them right away, but if you use the more common, elongated egg-shaped type, you have to let them drain, covered with cooking salt, for about an hour before frying them. Now dip the eggplant in hot oil and let them brown. Pat them dry with paper towel and season them with salt. Pour a few tablespoons of tomato sauce onto a baking dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of eggplant slices, then add the grated Parmesan cheese, slices of mozzarella and tomato sauce. Form at least three layers. The top layer should be covered with tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese only, to make your Parmigiana crunchier. Bake at a 180 ° C temperature for half an hour, then turn on the the grill for another ten minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes. Garnish with basil leaves before serving. It will be a big hit!