Skip to content

Baked Eggplant with Cheese

A historical recipe from Practical Italian recipes for American kitchens, by Julia Lovejoy Cuniberti (1917).

No ratings yet

A historical recipe

Practical Italian recipes for American kitchens: Sold to aid the families of Italian soldiers, by Julia Lovejoy Cuniberti (1917). Project Gutenberg eBook #43912.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

Italy

Known as an Italian recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Hot oil. Never put water on an oil fire: turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a damp tea towel. Pat food dry before it goes into hot oil, and lower it in gently, away from you.
  • Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. Tortino di Melanzana alla Parmigiana The eggplant should be prepared as for ordinary frying, that is, it should be peeled, sliced and the slices sprinkled with salt and left under a weighted plate for some time to extract the bitter juices.
  2. Sauté the slices in oil or lard.
  3. Line a baking dish with them.
  4. Fill the center of the dish with hard boiled eggs and cheese cut into little pieces.
  5. Add to this filling enough grated cheese and tomato sauce to flavor it to taste.
  6. Cover the top with another layer of the fried eggplant and a little more tomato sauce.
  7. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Frying pan
  • Saucepan
  • Baking dish
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board
  • Grater
  • Vegetable peeler
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From Practical Italian recipes for American kitchens, by Julia Lovejoy Cuniberti (1917). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #43912 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43912). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.