Eggplants Parma Style (Emilia-Romagna)

Appetizers

Ingredients

Eggplants - 6 medium sized

Coarse salt

Olive oil

Butter

Raw parma ham, thinly sliced - 6 oz

Tomato sauce - 1 cup

Pepper

Grated parmesan cheese - 3/4 - 1 cup

Trim the eggplants and cut them into rounds. Sprinkle with salt and leave on a sloping plate or in a colander for at least 1 hour to allow the bitter juices to drain away. This procedure also helps them absorb less oil when fried. Rinse the slices and pat them dry.

Heat a generous layer of oilive oil in a frying pan and fry the eggplant slices on both sides until golden brown. Drain them on absorbant paper. Put a layer of eggplants at the bottom of a well butter baking dish, cover with slices of ham, a few tablespoons of tomato or meat sauce, a little pepper and a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are all used up. Dot the surface with butter and bake in a slow oven (325F) for about 1 hour. Serve hot.

Serves 6