Thursday, March 11, 2010

My Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan

I’ve been making this Eggplant Parmesan for over 25 years now. I know this because I remember it being one of the first dishes that I made without a recipe when I had just moved into the house that I still live in now. Wanting to impress at one of my first dinner parties, I decided to make eggplant parmesan. I was a vegetarian at the time (*GASP*, yup, I was vegetarian for over 20 years), and being young and not the greatest cook, eggplant was about the only meatless dish that I could think of to cook for a crowd. So eggplant it was and it was delicious. My first solo recipe without Mom or Gram guiding me, and it was wonderful.

I often wonder if the accolades from my guest about how great this dish was catapulted me into a world of cooking and baking. If it totally sucked would I still be as into cooking and baking as I am now? Something to ponder.

Eggplant Parmesan TS

This recipe has remained the same from the day I made it. I don’t bake my eggplant. I’ve tried it and it just isn’t the same. So this is a dish I only make a few times a year, one of them being Evan’s birthday in October. Let me also point out that no one in my house likes eggplant except me, another reason I don’t make it often.

My friend John, who’s been around even longer than the eggplant recipe, will literally drop whatever he is doing to make sure he gets some of it. He LOVES it that much.

Please note that when I make this recipe I never measure anything. I just throw it all together until it looks right. When I make this, I usually make a lot because I don't make it often. This recipe will make at least a three layer 9x13 dish.

Lisa’s Eggplant Parmesan

Printable recipe
2 medium size eggplants, peeled
Italian style breadcrumbs (I have also used Panko with great results)
2 eggs, beaten
You favorite pasta sauce
Mozzarella cheese (you can buy shredded or the big block. I usually use both so you get some stringy and some solid cheese)
Grated Pecorino cheese

Peel the eggplant and slice about ¾ of an inch thick. Dip into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs. If you are not going to fry these right away keep covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

Heat a good inch of vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Make sure oil is hot when you put the eggplant in. Be careful in case of spatter. Fry each piece until golden brown and drain on a rack placed over a cookie sheet. You may have to add more oil, because the eggplant will start to absorb some of it about half way through. Let it heat back up a bit before you add more eggplant.

Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a baking pan and layer with eggplant. Top with a thin layer of sauce (don't put a lot of sauce between the layers) and a good amount of mozzarella cheese. I also sprinkle Pecorino Romano cheese on this layer.

Continue layering until you run out of ingredients. I usually use 2 - 3 large eggplants and make a huge pan but use what you have. Make sure to top with sauce & more cheese. .

Bake covered at 350 until hot and bubbly, about 30 – 45 minutes. Spray your foil with cooking spray so it won’t stick to the cheese.


Eggplant Parmesan CU

11 comments:

Amy said...

*Raises hand* Vegetarian for 15 years here, but came back over to the dark side back in 2004. I missed bacon, what can I say.

In all those years, though, I could not find an Eggplant Parmesan dish I liked. Either too bitter or too much sauce. You make a good case for yours, though, so I'll need to try it.

Mishelly said...

This looks delicious, and we love eggplant in this house! I have a question about you switching back to an omnivorous diet - Why did you *GASP*? I actually am toying with the idea of changing my diet to include less and less meat. If you don't mind, would you share your pros and cons with a meat-free diet?

Laurie said...

Still a vegetarian after 25 years! May not be to your liking, Amy, but a friend turned me on to Morningstar "bacon" a few years ago. Made me happy I could have BLT's again. And makes my friend & my partner (both non-vegi's) happy. I've made James Coco's lowfat eggplant parm for years, but think I'll have to try this recipe!

Debbie said...

I'm never sure about Eggplant, but this looks delicious.
I went on a vegetarian diet once for about 6 months. I felt great, had lots of energy and lost weight.
Maybe it's time to try that again..

Cookie baker Lynn said...

I've wanted to try baking something with eggplant for a while now. This looks like something my family might even eat! Do you have an eggplant lasagna recipe?

The Cutting Edge of Ordinary said...

Lynn, I made an Eggplant Ricotta bake which was very lasagna like. I think adding a layer of ricotta would work in this recipe. Hmmm, I might just have to try that.

The Cutting Edge of Ordinary said...

http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com/2009/05/eggplant-ricotta-bake.html

Theres the link to the ricotta bake.

stefanie said...

i haven't had really good eggplant parm since moving away from new york for college. eggplant from restaurants can go good or bad, so i am always wary to try it. my partner's not a big eggplant fan, but i am so putting this on my list of things to make this summer when the fruit starts becoming abundant! it looks gorgeous and delicious to me.

test it comm said...

That is one nice looking eggplant parmesan!

Unknown said...

sounds amazing! I may need to give this a try in the near, near future!

The Internet Cooking Princess said...

I am speechless. This is the most amazing looking Eggplant Parm I've ever seen. Why oh why do I have to be dating someone who hates eggplant?!