Chef Graziella
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Culinary Explorer
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Melanzane al Forno con Origano
Created by
Eggplant roasted until it surrenders completely, dressed with nothing but oregano and good olive oil. The South has always understood that restraint produces better results than excess.
Side Dishes
Italian
Weeknight
Comfort Food
20 min
Active Time
35 min cook•55 min total
Yield4 servings
The South of Italy knows eggplant as the North knows butter. From Sicily to Calabria to Campania, melanzane appears at nearly every table, cooked a dozen different ways. This is the simplest of them: slices roasted in a hot oven until golden and collapsed, seasoned with nothing but oregano and oil.
Americans want to bread it, fry it, cover it with cheese. They do not trust the vegetable to be enough. But when you roast eggplant properly, the flesh becomes silken, almost creamy, with a depth of flavor that needs no embellishment. The high heat caramelizes the natural sugars. The oregano provides its distinctive Southern perfume. The olive oil binds everything together.
Dried oregano, not fresh. This surprises people, but dried oregano has a concentrated intensity that fresh cannot match. The Southern Italian kitchen understood this long before anyone theorized about it. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in.
Eggplant arrived in Sicily with the Arabs in the 9th century. For generations, Italians viewed it with suspicion, believing it caused melancholy and madness. The Southern poor, with fewer ingredients and less superstition, proved these fears absurd by making the melanzana the foundation of their cuisine.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Italian eggplant
Quantity
2 pounds (about 2 medium)
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/3 cup, plus more for finishing
dried oregano
Quantity
1 tablespoon
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
sliced paper-thin
fine sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Italian eggplant | 2 pounds (about 2 medium) |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/3 cup, plus more for finishing |
| dried oregano | 1 tablespoon |
| garlic clovessliced paper-thin | 2 |
| fine sea salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Two large rimmed baking sheets
- •Parchment paper
- •Pastry brush for oiling
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the eggplant
Slice the eggplant into rounds approximately half an inch thick. Uniform thickness matters here. Thin slices will char before the interior softens; thick slices will remain raw in the center while the surface burns. Lay the slices in a single layer on a clean kitchen towel, salt them lightly on both sides, and let them rest for 20 minutes. The salt draws out moisture and bitterness.
Young, firm eggplant with few seeds requires less salting. Old eggplant with many large seeds benefits from a longer rest. Learn to read the vegetable. - 2
Pat dry and season
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Blot the eggplant slices thoroughly with paper towels or a clean cloth. The moisture you remove now is the moisture that would otherwise steam the eggplant instead of roasting it. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, oregano, and paper-thin garlic slices.
- 3
Arrange and oil
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer with space between each slice. They must not touch or overlap. Brush both sides of each slice generously with the oregano oil, making sure to distribute the garlic and oregano evenly. Season with pepper.
- 4
Roast properly
Place the baking sheets on separate racks in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes. The undersides should be golden. Flip each slice with a spatula and rotate the pans top to bottom. Continue roasting until both sides are deeply golden and the flesh is completely tender when pierced with a knife, 12 to 15 minutes more. The eggplant should collapse slightly under gentle pressure.
Undercooked eggplant is unpleasant: spongy, squeaky on the teeth, with an unresolved bitterness. Do not remove it from the oven until the flesh yields completely. - 5
Finish and serve
Transfer the roasted eggplant to a serving platter. While still warm, drizzle with additional olive oil. The hot eggplant will absorb it immediately. This is correct. Taste and adjust salt. Serve warm or at room temperature. Unlike many vegetables, eggplant improves as it sits for 15 or 20 minutes, allowing the flavors to settle.
Chef Tips
- •Seek out Italian eggplant or globe eggplant with taut, shiny skin that springs back when pressed. Dull skin and soft spots indicate age and bitterness. The flesh should be pale with few seeds.
- •Dried oregano from Sicily or Calabria has a different character than the dusty powder sold in supermarket jars. It tastes of the Mediterranean sun. Seek it out at Italian grocers or order it directly.
- •This contorno is excellent at room temperature, which makes it ideal for a dinner party. Roast it an hour before guests arrive and let it rest on the counter.
Advance Preparation
- •The roasted eggplant holds well at room temperature for up to 3 hours. Drizzle with fresh olive oil before serving.
- •Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. The eggplant is excellent cold as part of an antipasto.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 175g)
Calories
195 calories
Total Fat
16 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
13 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
440 mg
Total Carbohydrates
15 g
Dietary Fiber
7 g
Sugars
8 g
Protein
2 g
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