As I promised, attached is my Eggplant Parmesan recipe. I rarely use recipes for dishes like this because I am a “freelance cook”-- just throw things together, a little of this, a little of that. I learned by watching by Mom preparing this without a recipe and my son learned by watching me. Everyone has been asking for my recipes, so I made my eggplant a few weeks ago and wrote down everything as I prepared it. This recipe is heartier than my Mom’s as I prefer the diced tomatoes to a thinner red sauce. I also use less mozzarella, which really brings out the eggplant flavor. My tasters were my peers at work. They loved it! This is a great recipe where kids can help dredge and layer. Have them also count how many pieces of eggplant and how many stacks and layers. This gives them a little “secret” math in the kitchen too. It’s a hearty dinner and a great vegetarian recipe too. Enjoy!
(I did not salt my eggplant to release moisture and make it tender. I purchased medium eggplants fresh from the farmers' market. Fresh eggplant makes a big difference. If you use large eggplants or older eggplants (with dark seeds), you might want to salt prior to frying. Sprinkle some salt on each slice of eggplant. Set aside for 15 minutes. Rinse well and dry.)
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EGGPLANT PARMESAN
Serves 6 large – 12 halves
Ingredients
2-3 medium eggplants (2-2 ¼ lbs. – you need 18 slices)
½ cup flour
4 eggs, beaten, add ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, mix
1 ½ cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
Vegetable or Canola oil to fry eggplant. Enough for a large sauté pan for oil to be ½ deep.
Tomato sauce
1 ¾ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut eggplant into 1/2 “ round slices.
- You will need 3 deep plates or wide shallow bowls. (Pie pans work great for this).
- Place flour in one plate, egg into another, and bread crumbs with parmesan cheese and garlic powder into third plate.
- Dredge each slice of eggplant into flour, then egg, then bread crumb mixture. Set aside on a baking sheet.
- Heat oil until it shimmers. I test by putting a small amount of the bread crumbs into pan.
- Fry eggplant in batches and don’t over crowd them. Fry each eggplant slice until golden brown, about 3 minutes, and only turn each once. Place on a baking sheet covered with paper towels to absorb oil. You might need to add some more oil after a few batches. Bring oil back to a shimmer before cooking next batch.
- In a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish, spread 1/4 of the sauce on the bottom f the pan. Top with 1/3 of the eggplant slices. Spread ¼ of the sauce on top of the eggplant. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the sauce. Make another layer of eggplant, sauce and cheeses, then another layer. You will end up with six large, three layer pieces.
- Bake 30 minutes until cheese melts. If cheese starts to brown too quickly, place a foil tent over baking dish.
HEARTY TOMATO SAUCE
Yields: 5 ½ cups
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, small diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
Dash black pepper
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (with juices)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (with juices)*
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
Preparation
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan.
- Stir in onions and cook until transparent.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in basil, oregano, salt, sugar, and pepper.
- Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to incorporate everything.
- Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until sauce thickens, about 15-20 minutes.
*You can add tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes if you like a thinner sauce.
Recipes courtesy of: Tricia's Home Plate, LLC, http://www.triciashomeplate.com/
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