TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Melanzane al FunghettoNeapolitan Sautéed Eggplant
A Neapolitan side dish of eggplant cut into small mushroom-like pieces and sautéed with garlic and olive oil. As the name “mushroom style” suggests, the eggplant develops a mushroom-like texture.
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Ingredients (2 servings)
- EggplantCut into 1.5 cm cubes, sprinkle with salt and leave for 30 minutes.400 g
- GarlicThinly sliced2 cloves
- Cherry tomatoesHalved100 g
- Fresh basil5 leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil50 ml
- Salta little
Method
Draw moisture from the eggplant with salt
- 1 Thinly slice the garlic.
- 2 Cut the eggplant into 1.5 cm cubes, sprinkle with salt, place in a bowl and leave for 30 minutes.
- 3 Squeeze out the released liquid thoroughly.
Brown the eggplant
- 1 Heat a generous 50 ml olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and spread the eggplant in the pan.
- 2 Leave undisturbed for 3–4 minutes to brown.
Sauté the garlic with the eggplant
- 1 Turn the eggplant over, add the garlic and sauté for another 3 minutes.
Finish with tomatoes and basil
- 1 Halve the cherry tomatoes, add them and sauté for 2–3 minutes.
- 2 Tear the basil by hand and add it.
- 3 Season with salt and serve.
About this dish
Melanzane al funghetto is an eggplant contorno long enjoyed during summer in Naples. Funghetto suggests a little mushroom, a name derived from the appearance and texture of the sautéed diced eggplant.
Eggplant is one of the defining summer vegetables of southern Italy, indispensable in home kitchens alongside tomatoes, basil and olive oil. This dish has been used not only as an accompaniment to meat and fish but also on bread or in pasta, making it a vegetable preparation suited to cooking ahead.
In Neapolitan cooking, the same ingredient often takes different forms as an appetizer, a contorno or an element of a pasta dish. Melanzane al funghetto is one such example, reflecting the wisdom of using the summer kitchen’s eggplant in varied ways without waste.
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