In some families, they’d call these “medaglioni di melanzana” (aubergine medallions); in others simply “cotolette di melanzane e formaggio” (aubergine & cheese cutlets).
We always called them “Melanzane in Carrozza”, and essentially this is a very homely dish, the quintessential comfort food you’ll find quite often in southern Italy - we LOVE to deep fry, in case you hadn’t noticed! 😅
I’ll give you a few variations below, ingredients you can add, replace, and some tips. I guarantee you’ll like them as much as I do!
Ingredients (for 2)
1 large, possibly round aubergine, sliced 1cm thick
125g smoked scamorza cheese*, sliced 1/2 cm thick
1.5 cups finely grated bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour (any kind)
20 g grated parmigiano (or other kind of grated cheese)
2 eggs, beaten**
1 large spoonful of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying***
Method
I like to peel off the aubergine skin, though that’s totally optional.
Plunge each slice in salted water while you prep the other ingredients.
Arrange 3 bowls in sequence on the counter and place the flour in the first, the beaten eggs in the second (see notes below for eggless version), and the breadcrumbs in the third.
Season the egg with salt and pepper. Add the grated cheese and chopped parsley to the breadcrumbs.
Drain the aubergines and pat them slightly to remove excess moisture.
Pro tip: heat up the frying oil and slightly fry each slice for 30 seconds on each side. You don’t have to cook them through, but this will ensure you don’t end up with raw aubergines in the end. Drain excess oil on a kitchen paper.
When they are cool enough to handle, take two slices of aubergines and place a slice of scamorza cheese in between, like a sandwich. Then coat the sandwich in the flour first, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Tip: you can repeat step 2 & 3 for a thicker crust.
Arrange them on a plate or tray and repeat the same steps with all the remaining aubergine slices. Now, you can deep fry them right away, but I prefer to add an extra step for them to hold a better shape.