Eggplant Parmigiana

[w_r_ranch]

Vegetable oil (for frying)
Eggplant
All-purpose flour
Eggbeaters or eggs well beaten
Italian breadcrumbs
Spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella cheese. Grated
Romano cheese, grated​

This recipe is really a 2 person job, at least till the frying is done…​

Start by peeling the eggplant & slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. To remove any 'bitterness', generously salt the slices & place them in a colander in the kitchen sink. Let the salted slices sit for at least 1/2 hour or up to 1 1/2 hours.

When you're ready to cook, rinse the eggplant under cold water to remove the excess salt. Then press the eggplant between clean kitchen towels or paper towels to extract as much liquid as possible. This done, you're ready to cook.

Preheat your deep-fryer to 350 degrees.

Coat each side of the eggplant with the flour & dip the eggplant into the eggbeaters (better than well beaten eggs, IMO) to coat both sides. Then take your bread crumbs & do the same to coat each side.

Once the oil is hot, put the eggplant in the hot oil & fry until golden brown.

Once all of the eggplant has been fried, get a rectangular baking pan & start the layering by adding the spaghetti sauce to the bottom of the pan, then the eggplant, more sauce, then a layer Mozzarella & Romano cheese. Continue to build layers until you have reached the top of the pan. Top off with more sauce, mozzarella & grated Romano

Place the eggplant into a 350 degree oven & cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese on top just starts to brown. Enjoy!!!

 

[w_r_ranch]

I should add that it freezes very well. We simply allow the finished product cool/chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours... this allows it to 'set up' for near-perfect slicing. My wife then freezes it overnight & then the next morning we vacuum pack the individual servings.

When needed, simply drop the bags into boiling water for 40 minutes or so & enjoy a 'fresh' Italian meal at home!!! Best of all, cleanup is easy - just your dinner plates & silverware!!!

 

[Smart Red]

M-m-m-m-m!

 

[digitS']

Yeah!

@ninnymary will be over here to share a lower-cal recipe.

I can talk about my eggplant variety for parmigiana on the other thread but can make note of how it's not easy for me to grow Italian bells. The Asian varieties also do better here altho they slice up a little small for casseroles. So, I have both Asian and a very round eggplant just so I can get those wider slices.

My garden doesn't have Bay Area cool summers but I put the eggplant through a grueling spring ...

Steve

 

[Nyboy]

The only way I like eggplant.

 

[baymule]

That looks yummy! I love eggplant cooked this way. I use my Food Saver for those ready to eat meals too!

 

[lcertuche]

I make eggplant parmigiana but I bread and bake the slices instead of frying. I like it so much better than chicken parmigiana. I get it once in awhile at a Italian restaurant in the city (not the Olive Garden). The chef is from Italy and loves to greet you. His kitchen is open and you can watch him making his huge trays of rolls and his meatballs is the size of a baseball. Mine is never as good but then again I'm sure he fries his like you do.

 

[Nyboy]

A great hot sandwich is eggplant parmigiana on Italian bread

 

[lcertuche]

Oh my!

 

[chefsdreams]

i never thought i'd get a chance to share my one and only eggplant recipe,, but here goes! i make little eggplant sammys. digitS' this would be perfect for those round ones you've got.
ingredients:
eggplant
fontina cheese (this comes mild or sharp) i choose this cuz it melts so well
i egg beaten (if you're making a whole bunch, you may need more than one egg)
sage leaves
bread crumbs or panko
first, slice em cross ways in about 1/4 in slices. place them on some paper towels, sprinkle a little salt on each, cover with paper towels and put a cutting board over them and then put a heavy something on the board. leave for 30 - 60 minutes.
meanwhile, slice up the fontina. you're gonna want 2 or 3 slices per sandwich
spread your bread crumbs and season with your favorite blend (salt, pepper, cayenne, chili flakes, cumin)
assemble:
take each slice of eggplant and dip into the egg
then coat with bread crumbs or panko (i've had it both ways and like them both. i will also add a little corn meal)
take one slice and put 2 or 3 slices of cheese and a couple sage leaves (leave them whole) and cover with a second slice of eggplant.
repeat with the remaining eggplant slices until you run out of cheese.
cook:
in a large frying pan or skillet put a couple of ounces of oil. i use olive oil because i like that best. i like the flavor it imparts to the eggplant. not too much, you're going to kind of saute them not deep fry . don't crowd the pan(the cheese melts and they get stuck together and it gets really hard to flip them over.
cook for a couple minutes on one side then flip over and cook a couple minutes on the other side.
you want the bread crumbs to brown not burn. you can tell they're done when they're nice and golden brown and the cheese is oozing out the sides.
transfer to a plate and serve right away (although i've also eaten them cold and they pretty good that way too)
i make a salsa to serve with these beauties.
salsa:
tomato
onion or scallion
chili pepper ( use what ever you like. i use serano))
cilantro
sweet fruit (peach, plum, nectarine)
i cut everything into pretty small pieces and add salt, pepper, tobasco, a tiny bit of vinegar, and a tiny bit of olive oil and stir together. this should not be too wet. you want to serve a dollop on top of the eggplant. the combination of the spicy and the tomato and the sweet fruit is just killer!

there you go! i've never shared this with anybody, but if the neighbors are any judge then i'm hoping you like it.