Eggplant Parmigiana Without The Parmigiana Food

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• For the tomato sauce: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions become translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar and the canned tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break up some of the whole tomatoes and cook 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring from time to time. Taste for seasoning, the tomatoes should be fairly broken down and the flavors coming together. Cook for another few minutes if the tomatoes still taste like they need a little more time to break down. Set aside to cool.
• For the eggplant (this step is optional, leave it out if you have limited time): Arrange the eggplant rounds in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt on both sides of each slice and allow it to sit for about 1 hour. Salting it draws out the liquid and bitter flavor. After an hour, rinse with cold water and dry them thoroughly with a kitchen towel.
• Put the flour in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the oregano and fresh thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Dip each eggplant slice in the flour and shake off any excess. Then, dip in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Make sure to coat both sides of each slice of eggplant. Arrange them in single layers on the baking sheets.
• In a large skillet, pour enough oil to accumulate about 1/2-inch in the bottom. Heat the oil until it begins to smoke lightly (alternatively, test with a thermometer and wait until the oil registers between 380 degrees F and 400 degrees F). Use a pair of kitchen tongs to add a single layer of the eggplant to the pan. Cook them until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil and transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a kitchen towel so the eggplant can drain as the others cook. Season lightly with salt. Take care to reheat the oil back up to temperature before adding another batch of slices to the pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To assemble: In a 9 by 13-inch flameproof baking dish, spoon about 1/4 of the tomato sauce on the bottom. Top with a layer of the fried eggplant; the eggplant slices can overlap slightly. Top with about 1/3 of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with about 1/4 of the Parmesan and provolone cheeses. Top with a layer of torn basil leaves. Spoon sauce and repeat the layering 2 more times to make 3 layers. End with the remaining mozzarella. Carefully press the layers down firmly into the dish once assembled. Place the dish in the top part of the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. For extra browning, put the dish under the broiler for a minute or two just before serving to get an extra brown cheesy top. I always nibble on a bit of that before sharing it with my friends!

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Arrange the eggplant slices on several baking sheets and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt. Set aside to let the bitter juices weep from the eggplant, about 1 hour.
• Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, and season with pepper.
• Place the flour in a medium lipped plate or bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
• In a large straight-sided skillet, pour the oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until it registers 400 degrees F on a deep frying thermometer. (The oil must be heated to 400 degrees F. so that the breaded eggplant, when added, will drop the temperature of the oil to the proper frying temperature of 375 degrees F.)
• Working in small batches, fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 15 x 10- x 2-inch-baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/3 of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another 1/3 of the sauce. Scatter half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use immediately, store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Yield: about 3 1/2 cups
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EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• Prepare the eggplant: Beat together the eggs, cheese, parsley, pepper, and garlic powder. Some people put the peeled, sliced eggplant in a colander with a heavy object on top, so it can drain somewhat. It's been known to be less tart, then. I don't do this any longer, because I found little or no difference in tartness.
• Dip the sliced eggplant pieces into the egg mixture and then into the bread crumbs, so that they're nicely coated. Fry each piece in olive oil until very brown on both sides. This is important. If the eggplants are not thinly cut or if they're not browned enough, the taste of the entire dish is not right. Both hands have to be working to get a good system going for this, and I use a medium to high flame. At certain intervals, I stop and dump the oil, wash the pan, and begin with a clean pan. This makes a big difference.
• As the eggplant pieces are done, you can drain them on a paper towel and then place them in a baking pan. When you have enough for one layer, coat the layer generously with tomato sauce. (Reserve meats to eat seperately.) On top of that, sprinkle grated mozzarella generously. Keep repeating layers. Make sure the sides of your pan get some sauce, too. Now, I freeze this before baking. When I defrost it, I bake it as usual, and it's great. But if you want to eat it now, bake it in a preheated 350 degree F until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbly
• Prepare the meats: In a large skillet, brown all the meats in the olive oil. There is no need to cook the meats all the way through. Remember to pierce the sausage before cooking to allow fats and water to be released. Set meats aside.
• Prepare meatballs: Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a large bowl. Form the meatballs with your hands (there should be about 12). Fry in the olive oil over medium heat until browned, but not cooked all the way through. Set aside.
• For the gravy: Saute garlic in the olive oil in the same skillet used to saute the meats. Add tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. In a large saucepot, combine the remaining ingredients except the meats and the tomato paste-garlic mixture and simmer. When the mixture begins to bubble, add all the meats and the meatballs. Stir about every 15 minutes, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent burning and sticking. If the gravy seems too thick, add a little water at a time. Simmer for about 3 hours, keeping the lid of the pot slightly askew to prevent condensation of the gravy.

NO-FRY SHEET-PAN EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Put 2 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic in a large skillet and place over medium heat. When the garlic sizzles and its edges start to brown, add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped basil.
• Heat an 18-by-13-inch sheet pan in the oven for at least 10 minutes while you bread the eggplant. Line up 3 shallow dishes; fill one with the flour, one with the beaten eggs, and one with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour (tapping off excess), then dip in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumbs. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
• When all the eggplant slices are breaded, carefully remove the heated sheet pan from the oven and brush it with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place the eggplant on the sheet pan in a single layer. Bake until the undersides are crisp and browned, 8 to 10 minutes, then flip the slices and continue baking until they are golden on the second side, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Top the baked eggplant with the tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Return the pan to the oven and bake, rotating halfway through, until the cheese melts and browns and the sauce is bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Top with torn basil before serving.

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• Sprinkle the eggplant slices lightly with the salt and let the juices disgorge for about half-an-hour. Pat the slices dry. Dust lightly with seasoned plain flour and then brown in olive oil in a non-stick frypan. You will need to do this in batches.
• For the tomato sauce:.
• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add a finely chopped onion and saute until the onion is transparent. Add 2 finely chopped cloves garlic and saute for a minute. Add 1 400g can Italian diced tomatoes, 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped and 1 tbsp parsley, chopped. Grind in black pepper, add half a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
• To assemble:.
• Preheat oven to 180°C Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil. Place a layer of eggplant over the bottom. Top with some tomato sauce and then dot with mozzarella slices. Continue layering until all the eggplant is used up. The last layer should be tomato sauce and mozzarella. Sprinkle with the grated grana padano or parmesan. Drizzle the top lightly with olive oil and bake for about 25 minutes.

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA WITHOUT THE PARMIGIANA!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200°C.
• Slice the eggplant into rounds--not too thick, though!
• Lightly grease/spray a small casserole dish.
• Layer the eggplant on the bottom and up the sides of the casserole.
• Sprinkle with spices and pour on 1/4 cup of tomato puree.
• Repeat until eggplant/tomato puree is used up. End with tomato sauce (use extra if you need to.).
• Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and drizzle olive oil over that.
• Cook in oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the eggplant is soft.
• To reheat, heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and pan-fry.