PARMIGIANA, MAKES MAGIC WITH TOMATOES,CHEESE,POULTRY,MEAT, OR VEGETABLES
PARMIGIANA....not the cheese, which is Parmigiano....but a particular style of preparing thin
breaded or not cutlets of meat, poultry, or vegetables that is wildly popular in Italian-American
homes, and quite popular in Italy as well. Although there are some differences in what is common
over here versus over there. Not a contest between what is better and what is not, instead a good
lesson in how food in it's original state sometimes transforms itself when made in a new country.
Let's start with the most popular dish, PARMIGIANA ALLA MELANZANE. Eggplant Parmigiana. And
throughout this blogpost you will not see me use the word PARMESAN, i don't care for it. Plus, you
will see why attaching it to the Parmesan is not really correct...meaning, the cheese may have nothing
to do with the dish. Above is a dish of Eggplant Parmigiana I made. Components are breaded cutlets
of eggplant layered in a baking dish with tomato sauce, a grated Italian cheese, and mozzarella. Baked
till bubbly and served in squares out of the pan, or done in individual baking dishes...the latter is the
way i've encountered it in Italy on more than one occasion.
For me, eggplant or zucchini or zucchini flower parmigiana are the only ones that should be stacked
in layers then baked. Veal, Chicken, Beef, Pork Parmigiana should always be baked in one layer.
You want the flavor of the charred cheese to pop in your mouth and when you layer the meats they
turn soggy, the steam together, and the cheese is just melted
So I have some food rules, so what...trust me...in this case you will agree. Here's the way I do it and I think
it gives maximum flavor to your meat and poultry based Parmigiane...use a cutlet sliced 1/4 inch for chicken
or turkey, no more than 1/8 for beef or veal or pork. Why? They just seem to taste better that way. I know some cooks and chefs like a big hunk of chicken done parmigiana style...i don't. The flavor I think is best
when the meat is SURROUNDED by a thin layer of sauce, the browned cheese on top. I've had the thick
cut style with Chicken Parmigiana and after the first few bites, the center of the chicken taste like, well..like
chicken...not chicken parmigiana.
. Please feast your eyes on that morsel of Pork Parmigiana on the fork...you are guaranteed flavor in every bite. This blogpost is more of a guide to theworld of Parmigiana than an actual recipe. So sit back and enjoy, class is in session. In the matter of
where did the dish originate, the name of course would suggest that it is made in the style of Parma
(Parmigiana meaning from Parma). Obviously it's not a stretch to think it has something to do with
Parmigiano-Reggiano, the cheese from that region that is known and loved throughout the world. But
the pairing of mozzarella, tomato and the meat or vegetable is much more a Southern Italian style than
Northern. There is even one story out there that says Parmigiana is a mispronounced PALERMITANA,
meaning in the style of Palermo, Sicily. Plenty of Napoletana dishes have been taken from other regions
in Italy and given the local color of Naples. Another story suggests that Parmigiana isn't Italian at all, it's
the creation of Italian-Americans. Well that story has a little fact in it. Most likely, the only dish that is
authentically from the boot of Italy is Eggplant Parmigiana. It was brought over here by those early immi-
grants and became a standard in their kitchens and restaurants. But, America, being the land of afforda-
ble meat, soon found the Italian cooks substituting things like veal cutlets, chicken, pork and beef for
the eggplant. A new crop of dishes sprang up and are some of the most popular dishes in the Italian-
American menu.
My daughter is helping me make some Chicken Parmigiana in this pic. Oh, before I forget, one of the other traditional differences between Italian and
Italian-American eggplant parmigiana is the breading. I/A's use for the most part a breadcrumb and
grated cheese breading, or an egg, pecorino, parsley, flour and black pepper batter. Italians fry the
eggplants in lots of olive oil, with just a dusting of flour on them. Regardless of your choice of breading,
just don't make it too thick...use a mix of breadcrumbs, PREFERABLY made from stale Brick Oven
Italian bread...that brick oven smoky taste is awesome in the crumbs...or a good brand of seasoned
dry bread crumbs (personal pref....CENTO brand) mixed with fresh chopped parsley and lots of grated
pecorino(or parmigiano). Have a good sauce (that would be one that YOU made, not the jarred stuff)
on hand. Sliced mozzarella, if using fresh mozzarella, don't use it on the first day it was made...it will be
too watery and release all that onto your dish. Let it sit in the fridge a day, or use a low-moisture one,
like a whole milk Polly-O or Sorrento brand. Have some dried oregano and fresh basil on hand. For the
meat based Parmigiana, after you've fried off your cutlets, drain on paper towels. Then in a baking dish,
drizzle on some olive oil, then a thin layer, about 1/8 in. of your sauce. Over that lay down the cutlets trying
not to overlap as much as possible. Sprinkle the cutlets with some grated cheese, a little oregano, and
some torn basil leaves..then add another 1/8 inch of sauce. Top with sliced mozzarella and provolone.
Bake in a oven for about 8minutes at 375 degrees. Then switch to your broiler setting. DON'T LEAVE THE
OVEN HERE! Keep your eye on the pan and listen for it to start to sizzle. It should take no more than 3-4
minutes to get this going, but every broiler element is different so you really need to eyeball this. All you are
doing it browning the top so the cheese gets that taste you only get when you order this dish at a
pizzeria or restaurant. You wonder what it is that makes theirs taste that way. It's the broiling of the cheese
that gives that flavor. It also sweetens up the tomato as it caramelizes. When you see it browned nicely
remove right away..it goes from nicely brown to CHARCOAL BURNT in no time.
There, see how nicely that's browned? I made this one today, a MAIALE ALLA PARMIGIANA, a
Pork Parmigiana.
Some Italian-American regional foodbites here: In Omaha, I had "Beef" Parmigiana and I
asked the restaurant manager why Beef? I had never seen that before. His answer was that
the stockyards which were in Omaha, Nebraska were so full of steer that instead of making the
parmigiana out of Veal, they used the more locally abundant beef. A very cool regional story I
thought. It's how food evolves. Back to your own parmigiana making...garnish your parmigiana
with fresh herbs, basil, parsley, or oregano. The fresh herb will just release lots of instant flavor
and aroma to the dish.
In the case of eggplant parmigiana, cut them thin and batter or bread, fry, drain on paper towels
and using the same procedure as with the meat, layer with cheese and sauce, although, you will
add mozzarella as well and layer and stack up about 5 slices high. Bake this covered for 1 hr,
then run it under the broiler after you add more mozzarella to the top just till it's brown.
My mom made a great eggplant parmigiana...but...my favorite eggplant parmigiana will always be
the one made by my ate Aunt Angie (Angelina DeSiato Scaramuzzi)..When someone says eggplant
Parmigiana, I see her smiling face.
Have fun with your Parmigiana...another great party food, and great for the holidays.
just another little suggestion...it goes great with pasta (Veal Parmigiana and Spaghetti one of the
all time best pairings)..and a simple green vegetable, or in a Hero Sangwich. Create some MAGIC in your
own kitchen !!!
Posted by peter battaglia at 12/3/2011 9:18 PM 
Categories: PARMIGIANA
Tags: PARMIGIANA PARMESAN EGGPLANT PORK CHICKEN CHICKEN PARMIGIANA
Categories: PARMIGIANA
Tags: PARMIGIANA PARMESAN EGGPLANT PORK CHICKEN CHICKEN PARMIGIANA
Am greatly pleased you are still a teacher of mine for everything delectable in the field 'italiano'! One of the fab things which came out of my 'year on fb'! Delightful, and I am very much including your daughter's beautiful photo!
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Happy Holidays and Season's Greetings Eha!! miss your comments on FB but so glad you are connecting to me through my blog. Thanks for your support and so glad you find it adds to your already vast knowledge of cooking..esp. the Italian world. Cheers, Pete.
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Another terrific and very informative post. Bravissimo! I migliore auguri di bone feste!
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Adri, you rock. Thanks again for your great support and comments. I love that something we eat has a story behind it, and love to share it.
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Hi, Peter - thanks for your comments. I knew facebook had to be put on the back burner for quite a few months, entirely because of lack of time, so gathering blog sites, email addresses etc was a 'bit of early homework'! Yours is most enjoyable! Hope you and the family are well!
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all are well Eha, hoping the same for you and yours...Greetings of the Season to u! I'm hoping to be busy on the blog this month, so thank you for being a loyal blogreader! Cheers!!!
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