Although this dish does not originate from Tuscany, it comes from Parma, the town my grandmother is from. It is simple to make. Using only a few essential ingredients, you achieve a delicious appetizer that will be the talk of your dinner party.

Serves 4 persons

• 2 eggplants
• Medium pot of water
• 2 tablespoon of coarse-grained salt
• Half a yellow onion (minced)
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1.5 cups of canned pureed Italian tomatoes
• .5 cup of vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 slice of prosciutto di parma-- .25 inch thick minced in a food processor

Bring pot of water to boil with coarse salt.  In the meantime, peel the eggplant and cut them in .5 inch circles.  When water arrives at boiling point, place eggplant slices in water.  Be careful not to overcook them.  As soon as they gain the tendency to bend when taken out of the water, as they are ready.  Place the eggplant slices on a dry cotton cloth towel and let drain. 

To prepare the sauce, simply add the olive oil and butter with the minced onion in a casserole and let simmer over medium heat.  When the onions become transparent, add the minced prosciutto.  Let simmer for a few minutes until the prosciutto is cooked, then add the tomatoes. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste the add the broth little at a time to allow the puree tomatoes to cook without drying the sauce.

  Add cooked eggplant slices, and let simmer for one minute.  Flip the eggplant slices and let simmer again for two minutes.  You can serve them immediately with some grated parmigiano on top, or baked with the parmigiano up to two days after making them.