Eggplant Parmesan
For someone that loves eggplant so much it seems blasphemous that I don't make this more often. Eggplant parmesan, or Parmigiana di Melanzane in Italian, is the quintessential eggplant dish. My mother-in-law was in town for the week and this is her favorite meal. How could I not include it in the repertoire? And if you're gonna do it, you might as well do it right. I decided to use Mario Batali's recipe for this because he doesn't fry the eggplant so it maintains much of its freshness.
I cut the eggplant a bit too thick because I really like the eggplant flavor, but you can cut it a bit thinner. Instead of buying breadcrumbs, consider making your own from day old bread and mixing in some parmesan cheese for added flavor. I included directions for prepping the eggplant to remove some of the bitterness. It's an important step in the process.
INGREDIENTS
| Eggplant Parmesan: | |
| 2 pounds (about 2 medium‑sized) | eggplant |
| Salt | |
| 4 tbsp | extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 cup | bread crumbs |
| 2 cups | basic tomato sauce |
| 1 pound | ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced |
| 1/2 cup | freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano |
| Basic Tomato Sauce: | |
| 1/4 cup | extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 | onion, diced |
| 4 cloves | garlic, peeled and thinly sliced |
| 3 tbsp | fresh thyme leaves, chopped |
| 2 (28‑ounce) cans | peeled whole tomatoes |
| Salt | |
PREPARATION:
Eggplant Parmesan:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch pieces. To remove some of the bitterness, salt each slice and set aside for 30 minutes.
- In a saute pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil until just smoking. Press the drained eggplant pieces into the seasoned bread crumb mixture and saute until light golden brown on both sides. Repeat with all of the pieces.
- Start to make the napoleons by placing a slice of eggplant on the bottom, top with a spoonful of tomato sauce, a slice of mozzarella, and a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat the process, stacking two layers to each napoleon. Repeat until you run out of ingredients. Bake for 20 minutes.
Basic Tomato Sauce:
- In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown. Add the thyme and cook five minutes more. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil, stirring often. Simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt to finish.
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