Eggplant Parm is not Just for Vegetarians

We are die-hard carnivores in this household but we still have a healthy appreciation for vegetables, especially vegetables that can imitate or hold its own with meat. Case in point: Eggplant.

For the first 27 years of my life, I hated eggplant. That's not true. For the first few years, eggplant was not part of my food vocabulary. Then once introduced, it became my nemesis. You can ask my stepmother, since we battled over it at the dinner table on many occasions. I, lover of all things fried and cheesy, hated eggplant so much I wouldn't eat eggplant parm. Somewhere along the line, I was tasked with making a vegetarian dish for a potluck. I wanted something hearty and meaty, and wouldn't you know, eggplant parm fit the bill. Hey, just because I make it doesn't mean I have to eat it! But I did taste it, and now eggplant parm is my friend.

Listen here, please don't go out and buy pre-breaded, frozen eggplant slices, slap some cheese and sauce on it, then serve it up. You can do better than that. Much better. Here's a recipe for you. (Give yourself a good hour and a half to make this recipe, from prep to done.)

Ingredients:

1 nice-sized eggplant, bigger is better than smaller.
1 or 2 eggs, depending on how many slices of eggplant you have.
Bread crumbs (regular, panko, whatever)
Flour
Your favorite tomato sauce (when tomatoes are in season, I make my own. When they aren't, I dig Trader Joe's sauce.)
1 package low-moisture mozzarella (either full fat or part skim, just don't get fat-free. Also, this is not the place for fancy fresh mozzarella.)
Salt&Pepper
High heat oil, such as canola or grapeseed

Part One:
1. Peel the eggplant. If you're lazy, you can leave the skin on but it's better to peel it. Otherwise, it becomes a stringy mess and looks nasty on the plate when you're done.
2. Slice the eggplant into rounds 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, discarding the end pieces. In other words, not too thick, not too thin.
3. Fit a cooling rack into a rimmed baking sheet or shallow pan. Arrange eggplants rounds in one layer.
4. Liberally salt the eggplant rounds to drain moisture from the eggplant. Cover with saran wrap and pop into the fridge. Catch up on some of your DVR'd shows or do some light housekeeping.
5. When you come back to check on it, you should see moisture in the pan (the salt at the bottom of the pan will be wet). That means the salt has drawn out the water from the eggplant, and it's ready to go.
6. Remove eggplant to a paper towel and pat the rounds dry.

Part Two:
0. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Prepare your breading station. Beat the eggs into a bowl big enough to dip the rounds in. Pour breadcrumbs and flour in separate piles on plates or sheets of parchment/wax paper.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat.
3. Pour a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a Pyrex or lasagne pan. Keep the pan nearby.
4. Dredge rounds one by one through flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, tapping off the excess after each dredging and place into hot oil. Pace yourself and don't crowd the skillet. Cook until browned on one side, then flip and brown the other side.
5. Create a layer of eggplant rounds in the pan, spread more sauce on top and top each round with a slice of mozzarella.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you run out of eggplant rounds. The last (top) layer should be cheese.
7. Place pan into pre-heated oven, and cook until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted and browned on top, about 20-30 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before serving, perhaps with a nice green salad and some crusty bread. I recommend red wine, if that's your thing.

Comments

[Ken Ronkowitz]

and - eggplant is a good one for locavores, whether you have a backyard garden or just a few good-sized pots or shop your markets that feature local foods.
http://paradelle.wordpress.com/2009/01/31/locavore-nation/

[Nancy Cavillones - Huffpost Blogger]

excellent, Ken. Thanks for the link. Locavore Nation rocks!

[Bonnie Kaplan]

I LOVE eggplants even though my mom wouldn't know what to do with one. I love steak and eggplant and this recipe looks great Nancy. I can't wait to try it. The details are great as well. A writer crafted this recipe.
Bonnie

[Nancy Cavillones - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks, Bonnie! It's a big compliment coming from you. Enjoy the parm!

[albertpotato]

Oh man! I was just thinking about Eggplant Parmesan and was wondering if it is in-season soon. I never knew about peeling the skin. I'll have to try that next time.

[Nancy Cavillones - Huffpost Blogger]

Eggplant season is generally July to October (in NY, anyway!). I happened to get an eggplant last week from a neighbor who uses Urban Organic, an organic food delivery company but generally, I don't have eggplant around until summertime. I'd like to experiment with steaming the eggplant first to remove the skin, instead of peeling it raw.

[Dana Brodsky]

Perhaps the tomato peeling method works well here? Cut an x into to the bottom and then just dip in boiling water for a few seconds. Eggplants are kinda tomato-y in some sense.

[mamacat]

Thank you for explaining all the steps so thoroughly. I am one of those cooks for whom, if anything can go wrong, it will, so I definitely need everything spelled out. This recipe sounds very good!

[Nancy Cavillones - Huffpost Blogger]

Me, too! I'm all about logistics and I can't handle abstracts. LOL. Hope it comes out yummy for you! Report back if/when you make it.

[carrieanna]

Oooo, now I'm craving eggplant parm. Mmmmm

[Nancy Cavillones - Huffpost Blogger]

I've been eating my leftovers everyday, since my husband can't eat it. It's definitely the highlight of my day. :)

[Dana Brodsky]

I too was an eggplant hater til I tried it in the breaded and fried form. Now, I'm actually a huge eggplant fan. Now that I don't need to disguise it at all and to make it a bit healthier, I just bake seasoned eggplant slices and then create little stacks of a few slices of eggplant layered with slices of cheese, a bit of sauce, and sprinkles of bread crumbs and basil and then put it back in the oven for a few minutes. The nice thing about doing it this way is that each stack is a cute little single serving.

[Nancy Cavillones - Huffpost Blogger]

I agree... sometimes the stack hits the spot! Some day, I hope to be able to eat eggplant plain, and enjoy a simple stack.

[Kate Alvarez]

Love this recipe! I think i'll make it for dinner tonight. Thanks Nancy!

[Nancy Cavillones - Huffpost Blogger]

Yay! Let me know how it turns out!