eggplant parmesan
I like eggplant a lot. Eggplant Parmesan is a rich meal for me, especially since I don't try to hold back anything in this recipe to make it low-fat and such. Part-skim, low fat cheeses can be substituted in this recipe, of course. Also, instead of frying in step 5 below, one can bake the eggplant slices in the oven - takes longer, and needs to be flipped around to cook both sides of the breaded eggplant, but, might cut out on some fat. Since I don't make it that often, I go for the fried version.
Italian foods get their turn at my table, but not as frequently as Asian foods. I decidedly am partial to SE Asian/Indian/Mediterranean/Ethiopian foods compared to French/Italian/American foods.
Ingredients
1 globe eggplant
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozarella cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese (optional)
4-6 cups tomato sauce, home-made or store-bought
salt to taste
oil for frying
1-2 cups all-purpose flour
1-2 eggs (optional)
Preparation:
Italian foods get their turn at my table, but not as frequently as Asian foods. I decidedly am partial to SE Asian/Indian/Mediterranean/Ethiopian foods compared to French/Italian/American foods.
Ingredients
1 globe eggplant
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozarella cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese (optional)
4-6 cups tomato sauce, home-made or store-bought
salt to taste
oil for frying
1-2 cups all-purpose flour
1-2 eggs (optional)
Preparation:
- slice the eggplant lengthwise into ¼" or thinner slices; sprinkle some salt on both sides and let it sit for about 10 minutes so it releases moisture and possibly the bitter juices
- start heating oil in a frying pan to about 350ºF ; while oil is heating, beat the eggs and leave it handy on a plate; dish up about a cup of flour and have that handy in another plate as well
- pat the eggplant slices dry from step 1, then dip the sides of each slice on egg, followed by flour; basically, this is to "bread" the eggplant for frying; egg is optional, it helps to hold the flour; alternately, one could bread the eggplant slices in seasoned breadcrumbs
- pre-heat the oven to 350ºF
- fry the eggplant slices in oil and drain on a paper towel and set aside till the whole batch is done
- assembly: in a casserole or baking dish, layer the eggplant, sauce, cheese in as many layers as possible, top with cheese; reserve some sauce to serve on the side
- bake in the 350ºF oven for about 15-20 minutes, checking on and off
- remove from oven and let it rest for a bit before dishing up
- serve warm, with warm sauce on the side: i hold back on the sauce while assembling and baking so it doesn't get too runny, but, that sort of leaves it a bit dry and so i like the extra sauce on the side :-)
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