Recipe: Concetta's Eggplant with Fresh Tomato Sauce (Melanzane di Concetta)

CONCETTA'S EGGPLANT WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE
(MELANZANE DI CONCETTA)

"Concetta, a former maid of friends of ours, was famous for this dish. During a memorable lunch about twenty years ago, she gave Mamma the recipe. Mamma remembers that lunch well because so many dishes were served. She always refers to it as "The Mortal Invitation."

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
8 small eggplants
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups Salsa di Pomodoro (Fresh Tomato Sauce), recipe follows
2 tablespoons raisins
Red wine vinegar
10 fresh mint leaves, chopped
6 slices (about 8 ounces) caciocavallo or soft pecorino cheese

Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large skillet. Cut eggplants into thin slices. Fry half of the slices until golden on each side. Drain them on paper towels. Add another 1/4 cup of oil to the pan. Fry the remaining eggplant slices. Drain on paper towels.

In a clean large frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil and saute the onion until soft, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Arrange the eggplant slices on the bottom of a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Spoon the Salsa di Pomodoro evenly over the eggplant.

Combine the onion and raisins. Spoon them over the top of the eggplant mixture. Sprinkle lightly with vinegar and mint.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cover with the cheese slices. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

Serve at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings

SALSA DI POMODORO (FRESH TOMATO SAUCE)
Makes about 1 quart

5 pounds ripe tomatoes, with stem ends removed, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup freshly chopped basil leaves, plus 6 whole fresh basil leaves
Salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Freshly ground pepper

Stir the tomatoes, onion, and chopped basil together in a large pot. Season to taste with salt. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often.

A few cups at a time, pass the mixture through a food mill. Return the sauce to a clean pot with the olive oil, basil leaves, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Source: Sicilian Home Cooking by Wanda Tornabene, Giovanna Tornabene and Michele Evans