Parmigiana di melanzane dall’orto al piatto (all’aperitivo) con lo chef Peppe Guida

La parmigiana di melanzane è la ricetta per eccellenza dell’estate nel Sud d’Italia. Un piatto stagionale e stratificato, ricco di gusto, che si presta a innumerevoli variazioni e riusi. Peppe Guida, l’istrionico chef del ristorante Michelin Nonna Rosa a Vico Equense (NA), presenta una versione ‘leggera’ e tradizionale per poi raccontare come utilizzare la parmigiana avanzata per creare un aperitivo semplice e goloso. Dall’orto, al piatto, a un finger food, lo chef napoletano celebra l’estate con la sua contagiosa passione e simpatia.

In collaborazione con Olitalia https://www.olitalia.com/it-it/landingfrienn

Il primo libro sulla cucina vegetale pubblicato da ItaliaSquisita è disponibile in tutto il mondo ma solo sul nostro shop, scopri di più: https://shop.vertical.it/

Scopri tutte le ricette con protagonista Peppe Guida: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWKLqE-7K4-YmnmW51GUjo0A6PK1MadFH

Guarda anche la ricetta delle melanzane alla parmigiana di Carmela Abbate e Angelo Sabatelli: https://youtu.be/eox3ZN0e07I

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Good morning, I’m Peppe Guida
and I’m talking to you from Villa Rosa, my country house, my pride and my place of inspiration,
where I vent. Today I want to talk
to you about vegetables, but above all about eggplant parmigiana.
Today I’m showing you the traditional one and a tip on how to use the parmigiana from the day before. Nice, quick and very, very interesting. We are in Vico Equense, remember, in front of Vesuvius, a volcanic land watered by sea breeze, and we produce vegetables with a peculiar saltiness because we have this very interesting
exposure in this land. The undisputed queen of our gardens is tomato. When it comes to basil –
don’t get me started. I have a weak side for basil from Liguria, because the leaf is very tender and lends itself very well for pesto, but also to be broken
and added to a sauce. Late May onwards, until whole September, but also October, we are in the most abundant time for the vegetable garden. And here we are, finally in the kitchen. I’m cutting off the very bottom of it. We remove the peel, because as
you well know the peel is really bitter. I like a bit of vegetable bitterness. So let’s do this, we just leave a tiny bit, that slightly bitter note that is not too bitter. After we cut the eggplant, can you see? It must be half a centimeter thick, 5-6 mm no more. When you have the part of the stem, cut it like this. You can also use haute cuisine knives and everything, but if you don’t have it you can use a serrated knife and you can cut in this way. If you have the mandoline, use the mandoline. Many put it in salt and drain out some of its vegetation water,
but I don’t like that. I like the eggplant as it is. Before we start frying eggplants, I’m preparing the sauce. How do we do it? A nice drizzle, maybe more than a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. I turn the flame on and I’m adding two garlic cloves, basil, a pinch of marjoram, we like it. This is a little secret. It must be a very light, aromatic soffritto that tastes like the season, just like summer. Let’s add our rustic, organic
POD tomato puree. Let’s lower the heat slightly and pour it in. As you can see, it goes down slowly. It is creamy. It’s a paste. It looks almost like a tomato concentrate.
When it is empty, absolutely when we talk about high quality tomato, the bottle should be washed because,
as you can see, another quarter tomato comes out, because the sauce is so dry that if not diluted with water you can’t cook
the sauce, it sticks. We’re adding a nice pinch of salt and stir it gently, almost massaging it. The heat needs to massage the tomato, it must be a caress, not a flame that breaks everything. 10 minutes, 15 minutes this way and you’re eating an exceptional tomato
sauce. You can use it to season some pasta or leftover bread.
Dip it in here and eat it. It’s too good. Meanwhile, I am preparing
the pot for the oil because then we have to move on to frying the eggplants. Frienn oil by Olitalia, a high oleic sunflower seeds oil,
an oil that doesn’t add nor takes away smells or aromas, nothing, it makes fried food very crunchy and even dry. It’s a guaranteed bomb. Let’s start cutting the eggplant open. Here it is. It starts sizzling. Meanwhile, I’m stirring our sauce. As you can see, it is simmering, it’s simmering well. Here they are, nice and fried, golden as the sun, they’re wonderful.
We’re spreading them well. Look at the temperature of the oil. We’re at about 170-180°C for frying, because the eggplant is cut thin, as you can see. It must cook, but not excessively, because then it will continue the cooking and it will release its condiments, its juices in the mold, in the tray, and it becomes amazing. Let’s rest it. Let’s start assembling the parmigiana. Before we start, let’s put some hard bread to soak with with all the crust that many times is thrown away, but is so good. Then I’ll tell you what
it will be used for. I’ll give you a clue. It is used for the leftover recipe.
Meanwhile, let’s take the tomato and begin to compose this great symphony. This is truly a symphony. Then, a veil of tomato, let’s take the lid off. Take a look, as beautiful as the sun. And start assembling the parmigiana. Obviously we used cima di viola
eggplant, a variety that is typical of Naples, but we can obviously use any kind of eggplant. Usually, when you fry the eggplant,
you don’t add salt. Wrong. You need a pinch of salt. If you put it in salt, you don’t, but since we didn’t put it in salt, we’ll need it. Then moscione. What is moscione? It’s a fresh caciocavallo cheese. My advice is to use a fresh caciocavallo because it is dry, it doesn’t release water, doesn’t release milk, because otherwise, when you take the parmigiana there is that slimy layer on the bottom that I don’t like. Look at this, fresh caciocavallo, so good. Just like mozzarella, but as I said, without water. Now, here it’s all a matter of abundance. There are those who add a small piece, those who add some of it, those who only add parmigiano, those who add pecorino only. Personally, when
I eat parmigiana, I want it right. And this must be a top notch parmigiana. Let’s add some more.
Just some of it, you shouldn’t add too much. And then another amazing secret, together with basil try to add some marjoram. The aromas, the herbs at the this time of year, nothing
was born by chance. If eggplants, basil and marjoram grow at the same time, we didn’t create
nature, and it is speaking to us. This is done, parmigiano aged 24 months generously, and we start with the next layer. Let’s cover everything well, because this must be a sumptuous cap that allows the mozzarella inside to melt well. Basil in abundance. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, just to shine it, and we place it in the oven. 180°C for 25-30 minutes. Let’s place it there and give it some time to rest. 25 minutes have passed,
here is the result. See, this is not burnt, it’s the crust, indeed it must be so because if it is whiter, it is not as I meant it to be. The parmigiano created this crust, here is basil, do you see? It is slightly roasted. Let it cool because if it is hot, it’s not good. At least a quarter of an hour, 20 minutes, it must set and then you can eat it. Between 15-20 minutes,
up to 24 hours, parmigiana is perfect, very tasty, warm, but I guarantee for cold.
When cold, it’s a whole other thing. Before making the surprise recipe for you, I’ll be telling you about
‘Original and Gourmet’, the new book by ItaliaSquisita on vegetables. 100 recipes by the greatest chefs in Italy and I am also featured with the recipe
for ‘puparuolo ‘mbuttunato’. Our gastronomic tradition is based on vegetarian and vegan recipes,
but those were not meant for vegetarians or vegans, those recipes come from hunger, need, leftovers. And now we move on to the leftover recipe, the surprise I mentioned before. Hard bread that we left to soak before. The more time we leave it, the better.
It hydrates exceptionally well. I obviously made parmigiana yesterday, on purpose. Here it is, nice and rested, set. So, imagine that this is a piece of parmigiana that has been left over. We could easily blend it with a hand blender, a kitchen robot,
but I don’t like baby food. Let’s add a some marjoram and basil, let’s lightly chop it. Let’s add some more parmigiano. One egg. We only need a
single egg to bind everything together. Let’s knead everything. This work must be done absolutely with your hands, as tradition calls for. Obviously without rings, bracelets, studs and all that.
Clean hands and no gloves. If you notice that the dough is still a bit too moist, add very little breadcrumbs
to make it drier. But it is very important that it stays moist, can you see? You should get a mixture that is moist, otherwise you can’t even eat it and you need a glass of water on the side. Indeed, it must be moist. Let’s create the croquettes. One spoon is more or less one unit. Make the spoon wet, this way. The dough slides better. Let’s cover it well with breadcrumbs and shape them nicely and we’ll dunk them in an amazing golden oil. I brought the temperature up
to about 170-180°C and then I even turned the flame off and
I’m frying them slowly. But it takes a nice and strong oil to give it a first hit of heat, just for a moment. It should create a crust and be warm inside, you see them as dark because there’s the eggplant, there’s the eggplant peel and above all,
the bread crust. Please, don’t tell me it’s burnt because this is nothing other than candy. Try it to believe it. Let’s finish the base to accompany our eggplant parmigiana croquettes. A small piece of lemon zest, almonds, oxheart tomato, I’m making a pesto alla trapanese mixture, a variation using the aromas that surround me. When I added lemon zest, I was already
off the usual pesto alla trapanese. Let’s add the edge of a garlic clove,
very little. A drizzle of oil. Let’s add basil and marjoram. If we want, we can make this pesto even smoother. Here it is. Pesto alla trapanese with a little influence from Vico, marjoram and lemon zest, it’s so good. Let’s now plate the parmigiana croquettes.
It’s a great idea for aperitivo. These look so beautiful. We’ll serve some pesto alla trapanese on the side, some basil. Here they are, nicely arranged. A drizzle of oil. And here it is. This nicely fried, golden
croquette must be dunked in the pesto and just bite away. Hot, cold, bitter, sweet, aromatic, summery and a party favor. It’s truly exceptional for aperitivo. I think I showed you two fantastic dishes,
from the tradition and leftover tradition. Remember, I’m waiting for you here on the coast and
try this recipe at home because it will give you great satisfaction. I’ll be waiting for you,
I’m sending you greetings and I wish you a great summer. That’s all!