Parmigiana Perfection!

Before coming to Rome, one of my favorite Italian dishes was eggplant parmesan. There is also a version with chicken as well, but the style of "parmesan" or "parmigiana" in Italian is all about how the dish is created, not just about what kind of cheese is used with it to make it. In Italian, eggplant parmesan is translated to "parmigiana di melanzane," chicken parmesan is not quite as popular in Italy as eggplant is, so I don't usually see it on a menu very often.

The basis of origin of eggplant parmesan is mainly from the southern parts of Italy supposedly claimed by both Campania and Sicily even though when translated "parmigiana" traditionally means "from Parma," (this is unrelated to Parmesan cheese) but Parma is a Northern city in Italy, which does not relate to the beginning creations of the parmigiana di melanzane. The Italian versions of parmigiana are only vegetarian, which is why you won't find chicken or veal parmigiana in Italy however around the world you can find chicken and/or veal parmigiana in various restaurants. 

The basic preparation for a "parmigiana" is basically having the eggplant sliced thin and fried (usually in olive oil) and then layered with tomato sauce and cheese, which is then baked in the oven. The main focus of the dish either eggplant, chicken, or veal must be thinly sliced and pan fried in oil to create the "filling" of the parmigiana. Then it is layered with tomato sauce and cheese, usually the tomato sauce is the first layer, then the eggplant or meat, and finally the cheese. This continues until you have used all of your ingredients based on your recipe. The various types of cheeses to use in parmigiana include hard cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino or soft cheeses like Mozzarella or Caciocavallo. Some even use a combination of hard cheese/soft cheese to create this wonderful dish for people to enjoy.

 The eggplant parmigiana that I had at Hostaria del Moro aka "Tony's" in Trastevere.

Here is a recipe for one version of a traditional eggplant parmesan*

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 28-oz. can crushed Italian tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flour
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups dried plain bread crumbs, sifted
1 large eggplant
12 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
3/4 cup grated provolone
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, season to taste with salt and pepper, and simmer, stirring, until sauce thickens, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place flour in a shallow dish. Beat eggs together in another shallow dish. Mix bread crumbs with a generous pinch of salt and pepper in a third shallow dish. Set dishes aside.

3. Peel and trim eggplant and slice lengthwise into 1/2'' pieces. Dredge each slice first in the flour, then in the egg, then in the seasoned bread crumbs.

4. Heat remaining ⅛ cup oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until oil is hot but not smoking. Add breaded eggplant slices to the hot oil (working in batches, if needed) and cook until golden on both sides and dark brown on the edges, 2-3 minutes per side.

5. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a large shallow ovenproof dish. Arrange eggplant in a single layer on top of tomato sauce. Spoon remaining sauce over eggplant. Scatter basil on top of sauce and sprinkle with parmigiano-reggiano, then provolone. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

*Note: there are many versions of eggplant parmesan that can be made along with different forms of parmigiana with chicken or veal. This is just a sample of what is typically done for a parmigiana recipe.

Oh My Carbonara!

Before coming to Italy, I had heard of variations of pasta alla carbonara, however, I had never had it before so I never really knew how to make it. For one of the cooking classes I had, I learned how to make the traditional Italian carbonara and it's actually a very simple recipe. It's also really flexible because the carbonara is technically the sauce of the dish, so you can use any type of pasta you want like penne or rigatoni or spaghetti, just choose your favorite! Sometimes this is good, but sometimes it makes for a weird texture because different types of pasta hold the sauce differently giving some pastas an advantage when making carbonara. The most famous and typical pasta used in carbonara is spaghetti.

Here are the ingredients for a typical spaghetti alla carbonara:

spaghetti (or any other pasta like rigatoni)
panchetta (or guanciale is used also)
egg yolks
parmesan cheese
pecorino cheese
salt and pepper to taste

The technique to making the sauce isn't hard, but it's a different approach and takes a little more time compared to a typical tomato sauce that just cooks together. Before making the sauce, the panchetta needs to be cooked on the stove top until crispy like bacon, it can then be taken off the heat and put on the side to be used later. Then, the sauce is made by first cracking the eggs, but only taking the egg yolks and leaving the egg whites in a separate bowl. The egg yolks (typically 2 egg yolks for a half pound of pasta) is then mixed with 3 Tbsp of cheese total. It can be divided however you want: equally between the parmesan and pecorino or a little more pecorino or a little more parmesan, it really depends on what you like most. The cheese is then combined with the egg yolks making a type of thicker paste like mixture. While this part is going on, there should be a pot of water boiling on the stove for the pasta. Once it is boiling the pasta can be dropped in for about 10 minutes. Before taking out the pasta and adding it to the egg yolk/cheese mixture, a little bit of boiling water should be added to the eggs to temper them so they don't scramble when the hot pasta is added. Once the egg yolks are tempered, the pasta can be strained out and added directly to the mixture. Mix the pasta with the egg yolk/cheese mixture until everything is coated. Add the panchetta (heating it slightly on the stove before hand to warm it up) and mix well. Add some more cheese on top, salt and pepper to taste, and the carbonara is ready.

This carbonara was made with rigatoni and guanciale: 

Croissants vs. Cornetti

Did you know that not all croissants are made the same? Well, when I went to Paris, I noticed that the croissants in Paris tasted a little different compared to the cornetti in Italy. There wasn't a huge difference in the appearance, but the French croissants tasted flakier, more buttery, and softer in texture than the Italian cornetti. Even though they don't look very different, the taste is distinguishable between them. It's truly all in the recipe and the ingredients used, so look for yourself.

French Croissant

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp flour
3 sticks butter (3/4 pound) of butter or margarine, equally divided and softened at room temperature
4 cups all-purpose flour, approximately
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 packages dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water

1-1/2 cups milk, warmed to 80°F to 90°F (27°C to 32°C)
1/2 cup half-and-half, warmed
1 egg
1 Tbsp water 

Italian Cornetto

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (can use whole wheat flour  for a whole wheat version)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp honey

4 tblsps sunflower seed oil

1 cake yeast or 1 packet powdered yeast

1 cup tepid milk

3 eggs

pinch of salt

1 tsp real vanilla

Brush on topping:

2 egg yolks

2 tsps sugar

pinch of milk

As you can probably see from the difference in ingredients, the French use butter, which helps to give the croissants their flakier and more buttery taste and texture whereas the Italians use sunflower seed oil or probably olive oil when they make their cornetti. This is probably the biggest difference between the two, however, another difference is the French use half and half and Italians do not. Even though the two pastries have their differences, both result in an awesomely delicious end product that goes well with my morning coffee or cappuccino. :)