Aubergine parmigiana recipe | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to cook aubergine Jamie Oliver? ›

Method. Prick the aubergines, then carefully blacken them over a direct flame on the hob (or under the grill), turning with tongs until soft inside.

Aubergine is usually cut into slices, cubes or strips and cooked in a little oil before being added to sauces, as this gives it a much better texture. For a crisp surface, the slices are dusted in flour or fine polenta first.

Aubergine parmigiana is perfect for freezing. Simply let your baked dish cool completely, then cover with cling film and store in the freezer for up to three months.

Soak eggplant slices or cubes in milk for about 30 minutes before cooking. The milk not only tempers the bitterness, but it actually makes for eggplant that is extra creamy, since the vegetable acts like a sponge and soaks up a good amount of milk in its flesh.

It's likely just been exposed to air and is experiencing enzymatic browning. An eggplant with brown spots is not safe to eat if it contains bugs or mold or exhibits other signs of spoilage. It should be thrown out.

The peel of an eggplant is completely edible. However, as the eggplant grows bigger and matures, the peel may become tough and bitter. People often prefer to peel larger eggplants because of this, but smaller eggplants do just fine unpeeled. It ends up being a matter of personal preference.

Modern eggplant has had bitterness nearly bred out of it, so many cooks have given up the practice. Salting the slices for eggplant Parmesan is not to prevent bitter flavors, but to season the eggplant itself and, at least in my experience, keep the eggplant from sucking up too much of the olive oil from frying.

Eggplant (US, CA, AU, NZ, PH), aubergine (UK, IE), brinjal (IN, SG, MY, ZA), or baigan (GY) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae.

Great at soaking up flavours, aubergine works well in stews, salads and curries. Try them baked, grilled or barbecued as a veggie main or in side dishes. If you enjoy our aubergine recipes, why not try some of our delicious vegetarian recipes, freezable vegetarian recipes and Mediterranean recipes.

Do you have to soak aubergine before cooking? ›

Today, eggplants are bred not to have that kind of bitterness," Jenkins explains. She does call out one outlier though. "The only exception is when you deep fry it. I tend to soak the slices in a bowl of water with a couple of tablespoon of salt for about 30-45 minutes.

Making Eggplant Parmesan Ahead of Time

When preparing eggplant parmesan in advance, you will definitely lose some of the crispness of the breading. With that said, you can layer and assemble the eggplant parmesan in the baking dish, cover it, and refrigerate it overnight.

Hand-breaded eggplant, lightly fried and topped with marinara and melted mozzarella. Served with a side of spaghetti. Available weekdays, 11am-3pm.

If you are going to make eggplant parmesan for the purpose of freezing it, there is some cooking involved beforehand. The idea is to cook your tomato sauce and eggplant before freezing it. By freezing it, you will be preserving the freshness of the tomatoes and the rich flavor of the golden brown eggplant.

Eggplant is about 80 to 90 percent water, so when you put them in the oven they need space to evaporate all that water and caramelize properly," says Covarrubias. Give them a toss halfway through the cooking process to make sure they're cooked evenly, too.

If it's an extra-large eggplant, the vegetable could be older and the skin tougher, therefore, it's a smart idea to peel it. But small, young eggplant have thin, tender skins that add great texture to the vegetable when cooked.