But that’s not the point.
Let’s say that your mother brought you some fresh eggplants, just that morning. We also say that it’s 9:00 pm and you have a certain languor. Finally, let’s say that you feel like eggplant parmesan.
What to do?
Give up?
Jamais, mon ami, jamais!
There is a solution to everything guys, stop hyperventilating that it isn’t good for your brain, and you are not in labor. My solution is called microwave! And it is my trusted friend Samsung. Samsung because it is what I have, but yours can be wirpool for what I care. Just let it microwave and do it well! And maybe we want it to go at least 900W, no sissies! But I think with a 650W we would have got by.
In these days of culinary solitude I have to make do, and prepare meals today for tomorrow and consume my own remains. So who forbids me to do it with style?
Nobody. Exactly.
Today I will teach you how to prepare a super fast eggplant parmigiana, or parmesan or whatever , without frying or grilling, wasting a whole evening to make a pan of succulent parmigiana, that you can’t even stuff your mouth with , since you’ll probably think of your line.
ingredients :
- two small eggplants
- very simple tomato sauce, maybe that sad one you had prepared
- Grana Padano (o any other grated cheese, yes you could use Parmigiano, but I prefer grana)
- Olive oil, possibly virgin
- salt
essentials:
- microwave
- microwave safe bowl, possibly with a matching lid
- eventual cellophane or plate, both safe for microwave (of course)
Rising to the top of the recipe, everything is really simple, it is listless girl that on Saturday night stays at home to write on her blog – proof!.
First, cut the eggplant after having the stalk removed, slice it not thicker than 1cm and then into cubes. Place them on the bottom of your baking dish and drizzle with a little olive oil and salt. After that add a layer of sauce to cover them but do not overdo it, it’s not neccessary. The sauce should be like a flannel sheet, the eggplant should not drown as DiCaprio in the Atlantic Ocean because on that damn door there was no room for two. Clear? On top of the sauce give a generous sprinkling of grated cheese, but again do not overdo it.
Second step, ça va sans dire, will be producing a layer identical to that one you just did, with the foresight to make the cubes of the top layer slightly smaller. Remember the oil and salt! Do not make a mess, ok we want to do it fast, but we want to eat something tasty, otherwise we would have made a mild and simple eggplant cream in the microwave right? Ah … I still have to explain this to you 😉
That done, add a bit of water on the bottom (do not wash the perfect layering, pour it on a side), less than a cup, it is only to give the opportunity to the sauce and steam to collaborate in the cooking of the eggplant, as we put them raw. (no time for drama remember?)
The third step is even easier, cover with the lid of the bowl, if you’re lucky like me, or a plate large enough to ensure the closure of the container, or film, both microwave safe. I would not recommend the plate, however, because it does not have handles, and it is easy to burn yourself, when you have to remove the lid halfway through cooking. It is also opaque and could make it difficult to determine if your dinner is going to explode or not ^^. Put in the oven at full power for 5-6 minutes. The water will start to boil and mix with the sauce, helping to cook the eggplant, while at the top the cheese begins to melt in a sublime way.
Here we get to the fourth step, that in my opinion is essential, remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes, at maximum power, it should be enough, but if the eggplant won’t seem wrinkly enough and won’t seem to be cooked as you like, add a few more minutes. Do this in steps (final 5 minutes and check it, then only after you may add one or two minutes at time), because the microwave takes a moment to let everything become caramel and to form a dark layer on the bottom. Do not make me repeat myself, this is a quick recipe … if we wanted to scrape our dish for hours we would have prepared a real parmigiana !
Why cook without the lid? Very simple, we want the eggplants to be a little more dry, as if they had been passed to the grill or fried, and without the cover water that is in the sauce, and in the eggplants exposed to air, evaporates much more quickly. If you like your eggplant in a bit “long” sauce you can keep the lid. I recommend, however, always the last minutes without cover, for anything I bake in the microwave.
Now, making sure you avoid getting burnt, you can enjoy them !!
Taste: 10 – waste of time: 15 yes but minutes, all in all, counting that I even washed in the microwave meanwhile.
For the purists out there, of course this isn’t a true eggplant Parmesan, but the taste is very similar, and it takes very little, it solves a sad dinner, especially if you are alone and you do not know what to make. It is also not an heavy dish, and this dose is actually recommended for two people (tomorrow I’ll eat this with a plate of basmati rice yum!). You are the one to dose oil and parmesan, and it doesn’t need too much, really.
The recipe is over but let me give you some advices
1. If the eggplants are black like mine, and have a thick skin, peeling them might be a good idea. I also eat the peel, because even if some may not like the crunchiness in it, i hate wasting food, but with round eggplants, purple ones, the recipe would come much better.
2. If you are two and want to make a single course, between one layer and another, put mozzarella cheese (squeeze it well), it will give everything a more Parmesan feel, and will give you a decent intake of protein for dinner or lunch, even if you are on a diet.
3. Use a tomato sauce that is burdo (as we say in my family), meaning it has not many ingredients or spices, mine only had, fine chopped onion, parsley and a pinch of saffron. Honestly I would not have enjoyed bits of carrot or celery in this dish, the sauce should be gentle and there must be a do u des between it and the eggplant. However any leftover sauce is okay, because it is also fair to cook without waste, making the most of what we have available 🙂
4. A leaf or two of basil in your sauce or on top of the dish WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE 😉
I hope you’ll want to try this super easy recipe, to have a taste of Italian food, with minimum effort, trust me it is worth it 😀
Differently from what many think, cooking in the microwave it’s possible, you only need to know how or to be brave enough to try. I have some main courses, fish and meat dishes in my repertoire, that I’ll share with you if you care to listen to this weird lady.
Hugs
Maria
♥
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