The eggplant funghetto recipe, Italian sauteed eggplant, is an easy and simple way to cook veggies to season pasta, or serve as a side dish.
Melanzane a funghetto, eggplant funghetto, literally means “eggplant made like little mushrooms”. This because, once diced, the eggplants resemble tiny little mushrooms. Eggplant al funghetto is a Neapolitan side dish recipe, but you can use it also to season pasta (try pairing it with grilled swordfish), on top of crostini, or as a homemade pizza topping.
Eggplant funghetto
Ingredients
- 2 eggplant medium/big
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 red chili
- salt
- extra-virgin olive oil
- parsley a few sprigs
Instructions
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Cut the eggplant in 4 and then in medium/small chunks.
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Place them in a colander and sprinkle them with salt. Leave them 5-10 minutes.
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Peel and crush the garlic.
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Rinse, drain and dry the eggplant well with a kitchen cloth.
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Heat 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a large pan, brown the garlic and red chili (carved to release aroma).
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Remove them and add the eggplant.
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Turn to medium/high heat and cook the eggplant stirring every now and then, until completely cooked.
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Meanwhile finely chop the parsley.
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Serve the eggplant hot or room temperature, sprinkled with fresh parsley.
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Enjoy your Italian eggplants!
Claudia