Parmigiana Leccese

Let’s start preparing the meatballs. In a bowl combine the ground beef and pork, the bread, parmsan cheese, salt and chopped parsely. Mix all the ingredients together. Using your hands with the meat mixture create very small balls, as big as a your thumbnail.

Fry the meatballs in a dash or two of olive oil, over medium heat, until cooked and crispy. Drain any grease and then mix the meatballs with a few Tablespoons of the tomato sauce and set aside.

Next up prepare the eggplants. Basically what you have to do is slice the eggplants into 1/4 inch thick round slices, coat them in flour, then beat up the eggs with a pitch of salt and coat each slice of eggplant in the eggs. Then fry the eggplant in about 1/4 inch of hot oil until crispy on both sides.

Get all the other ingredients ready: the tomato sauce, the parmasan cheese, slice up the mozzarella cheese (remember to use mozzarella from the previous day and not fresh one as that would have too much milk coming out it it), and the mortadella (bologna).

In a 9×13 or bigger casserole pan pour a few Tablespoons of tomato sauce. Place a layer of eggplants (1/3 of the whole amount) so to cover the whole bottom of the pan. Generously sprinkle some parmesan cheese then drop half of the fried meatballs and half of the sliced mozzarella cheese, more tomato sauce and half of the mortadella bologna, then cover with another layer of fried eggplants. Repeat the above layers, then cover with a last layer of eggplants and tomato sauce.

Bake at 180 C for about 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool down. Serve when completely cooled.