Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana

To prepare the grilled eggplant parmigiana, start with the sauce: finely chop the onion 1 and place it in a saucepan with a drizzle of oil 2. Sauté gently for about 8 minutes, then add the tomato puree 3 and a little water, just enough to rinse the pitcher.

Salt 4, stir, cover with a lid, and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally 5. During the last few minutes of cooking, you can slightly open the lid to let the sauce thicken. Meanwhile, take care of the eggplants: wash and trim them 6.

Slice them lengthwise to about 1/4 inch thick 7. Heat a grill pan and grill the eggplants 8: 2 minutes per side on high heat should be enough to get nice grill marks 9.

As they are ready, set the grilled eggplants aside 10. Tear the mozzarella by hand, placing it in a strainer over a bowl 11; this will remove any excess whey. You are ready to assemble the parmigiana: first, spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of a 11x8 inch baking dish 12.

Now lay down the grilled eggplants, slightly overlapping them 13, then cover with more sauce 14 and flavor with basil leaves torn by hand 15.

Sprinkle with plenty of grated cheese 16 and scatter pieces of the torn mozzarella; proceed in this way to create 2 more layers, starting again with the grilled eggplants 17. Finish the last layer only with the grated cheese and a drizzle of oil, without adding mozzarella 18.

Finish with a grind of pepper 19 and bake at 392°F on the middle rack of a preheated static oven, for about 50 minutes 20. Once out of the oven, let the parmigiana rest briefly before garnishing it with more fresh basil as desired. Your grilled eggplant parmigiana is ready to be served hot or at room temperature 21!