Parmigiana of Eggplant with caciocavallo cheese

INGREDIENTS 

• purple eggplant from the garden
• extra virgin olive oil
• Trapani sea salt
• Ragusa PDO caciocavallo cheese shavings
• fresh tomato sauce

Fry slices of eggplant, drain and season with salt.

Place them on a tray in layers. Season with fresh tomato sauce, basil leaves and semi-hard caciocavallo cheese shavings.

History of Sicilian Parmigiana:

The term “parmigiana” derives from the Sicilian word parmiciana, plausibly derived from the Latin parma (shield), a word also used for the wooden slats of a window shutter, which is evoked by the overlaying layers of fried eggplant slices. The theory that affirms Sicilian paternity for this recipe is supported by the fact that in this part of Italy the dish is called parmigiana di melanzane (parmigiana of eggplant), not melanzane alla parmigiana (Eggplant Parmesan) as in Emilia – the main noun is “parmigaiana”, while “eggplant” is the modifier.