Eggplant Parmigiana

A classic southern Italian recipe that can be hard to make authentically because one of the cheeses called is often hard to find. One of the true pleasures in life however, is the quest to find the ingredients for a recipe. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. When that fails, it opens the fascinating world of substituting. For this recipe it’s important to slice even thin rounds of eggplant, ~0.25 inches or less with the skin removed.

It is just as important to layer carefully and to work in stages. As you apply the cheeses and sauce, don’t over do it. Like any recipe, you’re striving for the perfect balance of each ingredient so the dish is fully harmonized. It’s like when you make pizza, too much sauce and/or cheese reduces quality and covers the other ingredients. You will need ~3 hours start to finish but you’ll get up to 12 servings depending on how many teenage boys are eating.

Ingredients

  • 3 Eggplants (~3 lbs), peeled, sliced into 0.25″ rounds
  • 3 large eggs
  • 8 oz Olive oil – extra-virgin
  • 1.25 cup Bread crumbs – dried plain fine
  • 1 TBL Italian seasoning, or
    • 1 tsp dried basil
    • 1 tsp dried rosemary
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 11 oz Mozzarella – shredded ~1.5 cups
  • 3 TBL Pecorino Romano – finely grated
  • Fresh Basil leaves – optional
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Sauce
    • 2 – 28-oz cans cut tomatoes with the juice
    • 3 TBL Olive oil
    • 6 Garlic cloves – minced
    • Kosher salt to taste
    • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
    • Basil and oregano to taste (optional)

Process

  1. Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
  2. Make the sauce:
    1. Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over Med-low heat, add the oil and let get hot.
    2. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
    3. Add the tomatoes and juice.
    4. Season generously with salt and pepper. You can add oregano and basil if you want that edge to your sauce.
    5. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.
  3. Preheat oven to 400°F and place a rack 2/3rd the way up.
  4. Prepare eggplant
    1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels
    2. Beat egg in medium dish with 1 TBL water. Season with a generous pinch of salt.
    3. In a second dish, mix bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, and 1/2 tsp salt.
    4. Dredge each eggplant slice in the egg wash and then cover with the bread crumb mix on both sides.
    5. Heat a heavy Dutch over med-high. Add 4 oz olive oil and heat until shimmering.
    6. Reduce heat to med and add eggplant slices in a single layer until the pan is full.
    7. Cook 3 mins, turn once and cook 3 more mins or until golden brown. Transfer to the baking sheet.
    8. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices. If the tray gets full add another layer of paper towels and stack.
  5. Prepare casserole
    1. Using a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, ladle ~5 oz of sauce into the bottom.
    2. Cover the sauce with a single layer of eggplant (use thickest slices on the bottom and save prettiest ones for top).
    3. Cover bottom layer with 4 oz sauce, spread­ing it evenly.
    4. Sprinkle with about 1/3 cup of mozzarella and 1 TBL Pecorino on top.
    5. Repeat process of adding a layer of eggplant and until you get to the final layer of eggplant.
    6. Top this layer only with 4 oz sauce, a final thin layer of mozzarella, and some Pecorino.
    7. I often put a layer of fresh basil leaves on the second and top layers before covering with cheese.
  6. Bake the Eggplant Parmigiana uncovered for 20 mins, or more so cheese is melted and bronzed in places.
  7. Remove from oven and let cool 10 mins.
  8. Slice into squares and serve
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