Eggplant Parmesan

I just scored a big eggplant and wanna do Parmesan. here's a baked recipe that looks good, anybody ever tried this type ??

I plan on sweating the slices first then doing the basic technique outlined here

INGREDIENTS

* 3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
* 6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
* 1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
3. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

and they turn out great. I dip the slices in milk and then bread crumbs and bake them for 15 min each side (350 F.) or until they are fork tender. It's my "low fat" version of eggplant parmesan :-).

At least that's the way I learned back my NJ Italian neighborhood. I've baked the breaded eggplant and it's still really good but something about frying it up in olive oil just adds a little extra flavor.

My new way of doing a mock eggplant parm is much easier and very very good.

I slice the eggplant, sprinkle with EVOO and roast them (Not breaded)
I then layer them in a casserole dish with the cheese (I use mozzarella/parm/provolone combo) with the sauce and if I'm eating carbs a sprinkle of Italian flavored bread crumbs moistened a bit with EVOO on each layer of eggplant. (You don't have to add the bread crumbs if you are following South Beach it's still really yummy)Then I bake in a 325 oven until it is all melty.

I also do this with layers of Zucchini or combo of both.

a year or so ago, I peeled and thinly sliced the buggers and lightly fried them in olive oil.

(I know, I know-- conventional wisdom days don't fry because they soak up oil like a sponge, but, read on...)

Layer the slices on the biggest platter you have that will fit in the microwave, with ricotta between the layers. Roasted peppers are nice in there, too. And anything else you might like, like tomato slices, 'shrooms...

Slabber tomato sauce over the whole mess-- note that the olive oil soaked into eggplants means you don't have to add any to sauce. (Hopefully, you didn't get them too soggy.)

Cover resulting mess with mozzarella, herbs, and anything else you thought of at the last minute. Oregano basil, parsely and cayenne are pretty standard herbalations. (Although I tend to leave the oregano out for myself.)

Nuke till done.

If you don't want to nuke it, or are making too much for the microwave, the usual pan and oven thing works fine-- just takes a little longer.

Then I started making my own eggplant parm. Now I crave it! I make mine similar to your recipe except I don't peel the eggplant and I do fry it. I make it in four layers with sauce and cheese in between (parm and a five or six Italian cheese shredded blend) but after the second layer, I add crumbled gorgonzola, then continue on with parm and shredded cheese. I make my own mushroom tomato sauce for it.

It's more work than lasagna but gads! I love it!

Traditionalists tended to recommend soaking the sliced eggplant in salt water overnight to eliminate any bitterness. Some say that is no longer necessary as modern varieties of eggplants have been hybridized to no longer be as bitter as they used to be.

I still soak 'em anyway because I'm SUCH a traditionalist. LOL

Anyway I generally take a jar of one of the better spaghetti sauces and enhance and stretch it out by adding sauteed garlic, onions, green peppers, and sometimes shrooms, and add a cans of both tomato sauce and paste. I add lots of basil and oregano and usually like to refrigerate the sauce overnight so it gets richer.

I've experimented with all sorts of cheeses that are not at all traditionally used in eggplant parmesan. I like to use Jarlsberg, either cottage or goat cheese, as well as the mozzerella and parmesan. It makes it texturally more interesting.

Eggplant is a sponge. Whenever you have to cook it after its sliced, you have to add oil. All too often, that quickly becomes a LOT of oil.

We have an oil sprayer that we fill with oil and pump by hand. It then sprays the oil. As an alternative, use olive oil PAM.

It sorta looks like this:



Anyway, slice the eggplant about a half inch thick and spray both sides with oil. Also oil the grill grate.

Put the slices on the grill until they get nice marks, then turn them. When fully marked, remove from the grill and proceed as your recipe indicates.

more veggies. We need to get a new grill and then look out! Nothing tastes better than anything grilled.

I love my spritzer, too. I refused to buy PAM so it's very rewarding to be able to use the spritzer. Comes in very handy!

:hi:

I need LP gas for the grill.....

There's not a lot of drama (sizzle, splatter, and gobs of smoke) in grilling eggplant.

:evilgrin:


:rofl:

I'll never forget the time I seared a steak in a new way ..... like blackening it. It smoked like mad and set off the smoke alarm. I've done that before, but in this case, it set off the one at the top of the basement stair (more or less in the kitchen) ...... but also set them off upstairs in the bedrooms, too! The house reeked of burned spices.

THAT was drama! :rofl:

Eggplant is much more boring.

:rofl:

got some nice marks on it though......

x(

it's in the over now for the final bake and I've got water on for Mostoccioli as the side (lightly buttered with fresh parsley)

the great part is my basil is high enough I was able to use some fresh basil on top of the Parmesan

excellent! Mr. K wasn't too keen on the idea "I hate soggy eggplant"

but not an issue with this recipe, after sweating the slices, brushing them with EVOO and grilling them, then breading as directed and baking in a 450 degree oven (I had a loaf of NYT No Knead bread in there on it's last 10 minutes) for 8 minutes on the first side and about 5 on the second, I followed the rest of the recipe as posted, saving back the final cheese layer for the last 10 minutes of bake time.

I only used one large eggplant and used up a jar of marinara sauce for two layers in an 8x8 pan.

I served it with buttered Mostoccioli pasta on the side and the fresh NYT bread and salad.

superb! but definitely not a week day "30 minute meal" but plenty for two meals for Mr. K & I. the eggplant was crisp and had great flavor and texture, I'll never fry it again.
Next time I can play with additional goodies like 'shrooms or bells or ricotta or whatever stikes my fancy...

My hubby and kids do, though. I just season some flour, dredge sliced eggplant in it and fry it until each side is golden. Then I layer it in a baking dish with spaghetti sauce and grated Romano cheese between the layers. I bake it at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes and that's it.

I never like the texture of fried eggplant :shrug:

I should try baking it but I still don't think I'll want to eat it. lol

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn meal
3 tbs fine-grated parmesan
1 tbs fine-ground thyme
1 tsp salt

I cut fairly thick slices and fry them in
basil-infused canola oil (about 3 minutes per side)
while I prepare the sauce in a separate pan, and combine
everything on the plate.

Mine's flour, breadcrumbs, parm cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, and sweet basil. I never thought about trying the corn meal. Hmmm. Now you got me thinking about how that would be.

This takes a lot of the bitterness out of the eggplant and makes the dish a lot tastier.


After slicing the eggplant, heavily salt it on both sides, layer it in a colander and weight it down by setting another bowl on top of the slices and then setting a couple of unopened food cans or other heavy objects in the bowl.

After about 1/2 hour, you should see brown liquid draining out of the eggplant. Rinse the eggplant thoroughly before using.