Now that you know all about eggplant, let’s put that knowledge to work making the World’s Most Famous eggplant dish. Plus, no matter how you manage your diet (Vegan, Vegetarian, Diabetic, go hog wild, etc.), Eggplant Parmesan may be tuned to your exact preferences (see Notes after recipe for instructions).
The wife and I look forward to having this eggplant concoction regularly … it is so easy, fast and good for us!
Eggplant Parmesan
Author: Dennis Killebrew
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
- For the Marinara:
- ⅓ Cup Olive Oil
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- ½ Cup Dry White Wine, such as Chablis
- ¼ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper (Use more if you like heat)
- 14 Ounces Diced Canned Tomatoes in Their Juice
- 14 Ounces Tomato Puree
- 1 Pinch Seasoned Salt
- 3 Twists of the Black Pepper Mill
- 1 Teaspoon Sugar
- 1.00 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil or 1 Teaspoons Dried Whole Basil
- 1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Oregano or 1 Teaspoon Dried Whole Oregano
- For the Eggplant Parmesan:
- 2 6” Long Eggplants, Peeled and Cut into Disks ⅜” inch thick.
- 2 Eggs Lightly Beaten in a Cake Pan
- 2 Cups Plain Bread Crumbs
- Vegetable Oil and Butter To Come ½ Inch Up Side of Skillet (2 Parts Vegetable Oil to 1 Part Butter)
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Cup Tangy Marinara, Warmed to Approximately 140 degrees
- ¼ Cup Quality Parmesan Cheese which has been Freshly Shredded and Packed
Instructions
- For the Marinara:
- In a heavy sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic until it begins to color slightly. Pour in wine and cook until one-half of the liquid evaporates.
- Add the crushed red pepper, tomatoes (in their liquid), salt, pepper and sugar and simmer covered over low heat for 20 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Add the basil and oregano and cook 5 more minutes. Makes about 2.5 to 3 cups,
- For the Eggplant Parmesan:
- Place a rack in the center slot of your oven and preheat to 325 degrees.
- Place two paper towels, two sheets deep on a work surface. Arrange the eggplant slices cut side down, edge-to-edge on the toweling. Liberally salt, then turn each slice over and salt the second side. Turn them over again in 15 minutes. Allow them to drain for at least 30 minutes total. The idea here is to coax as much of the moisture out of the eggplant as possible to improve cooking characteristics.
- Lightly pepper both sides of the eggplant slices. Dip each into the eggs to moisten on both sides, then dredge in bread crumbs, pushing lightly into the crumbs with the palm of your hand to get the best coating possible. Because they are going to continue to shed moisture, they may not be prepared in advance. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil mixture sizzles when tested by dipping a corner of an eggplant piece into it, cook as many at a time as will comfortably fit in the pan. Remove the slices just as soon as they are brown and crisp to drain on paper towels.
- To assemble, arrange 4 or 5 slices on a serving plate and carefully spread 3 to 5 tablespoons (according to your liking – but, please do not drown the eggplant) of marinara on the portion. Scatter 2 packed tablespoons of Parmesan over the marinara. Put the plates carefully into the oven and bake for 5 to 8 minutes to melt the cheese and heat throughout. They will be perfect with an temperature taken in the middle of the “stack” of 140 – 150 degrees.
- Serve immediately and pass the parmesan!
Notes: To lighten up the eggplant slices, roast them instead of frying. For Vegan preparation, omit butter if frying and use a vegan hard cheese substitute (or just skip the cheese altogether). Also, these are wonderful assembled over a 2 ounce (uncooked weight) portion of angel hair pasta!
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