Millefeuille of eggplants: the recipe for a typical summer appetizer

The millefeuille of eggplants is a perfect appetizer to be served during the summer. The protagonist of this recipe are the queens of summer, that are the eggplants, which, fried in hot oil and arranged in layers with provola cheese and tomato sauce, create a dish characterized by delicious flavors. Very easy to make, the millefeuille of eggplants is ideal to be enjoyed lukewarm or at room temperature. Here's how to prepare the millefeuille of eggplants without mistakes.

How to prepare the millefeuille of eggplants

Wash the eggplants, peel them and cut them into slices about 5 mm thick. Cut the provola cheese into thin slices (1).

Heat plenty of seed oil in a pan, then dip the eggplant slices and fry them (2), turning them from time to time.

When the slices are golden brown, drain them with kitchen tongs (3) and let them dry on kitchen paper towels.

Drain the peeled tomatoes from their liquid and cut them into chunks. Transfer them to a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 clove of garlic and a bit oforegano (4) and cook until they are dry and fragrant. Season with salt.

In a baking dish suitable for cooking in the oven, place a slice of eggplant, then place a slice of scamorza cheese and a little tomato sauce on top (5).

Then cover with another slice of eggplant and continue in this way until 3-4 layers in all and ending with the provola cheese. Make the other millefeuille (6) and quickly put them in the oven, just long enough to melt the cheese.

Once the cheese is well melted, take out of the oven and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a little oregano. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with a sprig of basil and serve (7).

Tips

To soften the slightly bitter flavor, before frying the eggplants cut them into slices and place them in a colander, then sprinkle them with a little coarse salt and let them drain for a couple of hours. After this time, squeeze them well, rinse them under running water and then dab them with a sheet of absorbent kitchen paper. In this case, avoid adding more salt during the preparation.

To prepare a perfect frying, opt for a good peanut seed oil; characterized by a smoke point that exceeds 200 degrees C, odorless and clear, this type of oil is among those oils that least alter the taste of food during frying. The optimum temperature of the oil is between 160-180 degrees C (it is better to use a kitchen thermometer) and fry in a large pan or a wok.

You can prepare this dish either with fried eggplants, for a more enjoyable version, or with grilled eggplants, for a lighter one. In the latter case, wash the eggplants, peel them, cut them into slices about 5mm thick and grill them on a hot plate on both sides.

In case you don't want to turn on the oven, you can make everything cold; you only have to slice tomatoes and mozzarella cheese in this case, alternate them in slices with eggplants and compose your delicious millefeuille.

To give the dish even more fragrance, you can garnish it with droplets of basil pesto and to enrich it further, before putting it in the oven, you can add a little grated Parmesan cheese.

Preservation

The millefeuille of eggplants can be preserved in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, covered with a sheet of transparent film or, alternatively, placed in a special hermetically sealed container.