Eggplant

Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation about Venetian cicchetti. In my last post, Venetian Cicchetti (Part 1) – An Intro, A Love Letter, Advice, I discussed what cicchetti are, a bit about their history, and the culture surrounding them. Having laid the foundation, I’m going to do my favorite thing and talk about the food itself! I provide a lot of information but, in doing so, by the end of this post you should be confident enough to compose a Venetian cicchetti menu of your own. Also, I am going to share a flexible and delicious eggplant recipe to …

It’s August and we are at the peak of eggplant season. Eggplant is my absolute favorite. I like it prepared in every way possible – in parmigiana, fried, grilled, roasted, pureed, stuffed, in pasta sauce, you name it. If you love eggplant as much as I do, you will want to try this heavenly, rich, yet delicate eggplant lasagna. This Lasagne alle Melanzane is filled with a delightful tomato basil sauce, fried eggplant, fresh mozzarella, scamorza cheese, prosciutto cotto (unsmoked ham), hard-boiled egg, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. It sounds like a lot but is prepared in the Italian-style, meaning, with a …

I have been eating these Calabrian Stuffed Eggplants, called Melanzane Ripiene alla Calabrese, my whole life. Frankly, I can think of no other dish that has so much meaning to me. As I was planning my Christmas menus this year, it occurred to me that I should probably write the recipe down once and for all, so that I could pass it on and share it with others. Up until now, I’ve been preparing the dish like an Italian, all by eye. Some people aren’t comfortable with that, so I tested the recipe twice last week to get it just …