A Bit About Inside-Out

• Inside-out refers to any dish deconstructed and reconstructed. There is a misconception that this concept comes from the Italian tradition of cucina povera, peasant cooking, which partly entails simulating more decadent dishes by mixing together whatever overlapping ingredients you have on hand. But there is no historical evidence supporting this correlation. Despite questions about its origins, inside-out has become a popular foodie term that mimics the sentiments of cucina povera while going many steps further, sometimes indicating elaborate dishes with numerous, expensive ingredients merely presented in a nonlinear yet layered or abstract visual manner.

The Rest Is Noise

• There isn't a specific definition that qualifies a given dish as inside-out. Rather, it's the creative, transparent, nontraditional method with which you introduce the ingredients through the plate. Regarding eggplant Parmesan, sometimes called eggplant Parmigiana, one idea is to omit the breading and frying step, slice and dice the vegetables and mix them in a large bowl with tomato sauce, transfer the mixture to a casserole dish, top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and bake until cooked through. Substitutions are encouraged -- white sauce instead of tomato sauce, ricotta for mozzarella, whole basil leaves or spinach instead of herbs. Also, cooking and serving the eggplant Parmesan in individual ramekins ratchets up the inside-out factor.

Eggplant Plus Imagination, Squared

• In classic eggplant Parmesan, you slice the eggplants, coat them with breading and fry them. An example of inside-out might include making light patties out of breading ingredients alone, such as breadcrumbs, flour and egg, and frying these. This maintains the golden crispy element of the fried breading typical of eggplant Parmesan but presents it differently. You might serve the fried bread patties between layers of baked eggplant slices. Another idea is to mix the flour and breadcrumbs with a little oil to make a savory topping. Fry the egg and the topping in separate pans, then top the egg with the savory crunch, a slice of baked eggplant, cheese and tomato sauce.

Sliced, Diced, Baked or Broiled

• To form the basis of a layered inside-out eggplant, bake slices of plain eggplant or eggplant slices lightly sprinkled with seasoned breading. Go for small or Japanese eggplants, which have fewer seeds and are less bitter. Dicing and sauteing plain eggplant is another idea. Then, before baking, you have the option of mixing the diced eggplant directly into some of the other ingredients, like the onions, garlic and herbs, intensifying the inside-out effect. Serve the baked, diced eggplant, onions, garlic and herbs on a bed of tomato sauce topped with melted mozzarella, breadcrumbs and Parmesan.