Aubergine parmigiana recipe | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to cook aubergine jamie oliver? ›

Place the aubergine slices in a sturdy ovenproof pan. Brush lightly with oil, then sprinkle over ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and a little sea salt and black pepper. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until softened and charred, adding the spring onions, garlic and cherry tomatoes halfway through.

Store your eggplant parmigiana in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, for 1-2 days. It can be frozen after cooking, maybe already divided into portions, and defrosted in the fridge as needed before reheating.

Reduce the sugo (tomato sauce) enough to a thick consistency - this will prevent the eggplant parmigiana from becoming too watery/saucy. Use a sharp knife to slice the eggplants (and be careful!) - a blunt knife increases the risk of the eggplants rolling as you attempt to cut through.

Eggplants are known to absorb a lot of fat while cooking. A useful tip to prevent sogginess and greasiness is to salt sliced or diced eggplant and let it sit for an hour. This helps to draw out moisture. Next, rinse and drain any liquid from the sliced eggplant, then pat dry 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.

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.

Another argument in favor of salting claims that it draws moisture out of the eggplant's cells that will, in turn, block the absorption of oil during cooking. But we know from experience that a salted eggplant still soaks up quite a bit of oil. So, in the end, we're with Clee on this one: don't sweat it.

When buying an eggplant, the flesh should be firm but give slightly when pressed, then bounce back. If your eggplant is soft to the touch, that's an indication that it's beginning to spoil. In addition, if the flesh of the eggplant is slimy, you'll want to throw it away.

Lusterless and shriveling exteriorA ripe, safe-to-eat eggplant looks really shiny and has tight, smooth skin. If your eggplant has lost its luster and/or looks wrinkly, it's past its prime and no longer good to cook with. Keep an eye out for brown spots around your eggplant, too.

Is it okay to eat eggplant that is brown inside? ›

Answer. Eggplant flesh will have tan to brown colored spots around the seeds. If this is the color you are referring to, it is edible. If the flesh is more brown than white, the eggplant may be spoiling and should be discarded.

For one thing, I lack the patience for most preparations. Many recipes have you salt the eggplant or soak it in salt water for up to 2 hours, then pat dry before cooking. This helps remove some of the bitterness and prevents the eggplant from tasting chewy.

Like most vegetables, aubergine can be fried, grilled, roasted, steamed or even boiled. It's also happily stuffed, or, blitzed – there are SO many ways to make this bulbous vegetable sing. Most commonly, it is fried or roasted, though we've included recipes which see them boiled below (Thai green curry we love you).

Spread out the aubergine in a roasting tin or on a baking sheet (you may need to use two) and drizzle with the oil. Turn the pieces over with your hands and season. Roast for 15-20 mins, turning the slices halfway through cooking, or until they are dark golden on the outside and soft inside.

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.