Judys Eggplant Aubergine Parm Food

JUDY'S EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) PARM

Steps:

• Slice eggplant lengthwise 3/8-inch thick.
• Salt both sides, and stack upright in colander.
• Set colander in sink, or set in tray to catch drippings.
• Let sweat for 30 minutes.
• Remove, rinse and pat eggplant dry.
• Place olive oil in pan, about 1 1/2 inches worth.
• Heat until oil is quite hot, but not smoking.
• Dredge eggplant on both sides in flour.
• Place in pan, not overlapping, until golden brown.
• Flip and continue frying until other side is golden brown.
• Remove, drain, and place on paper towels.
• Repeat with remaining eggplant.
• Meanwhile, as eggplant is being fried, place tomatoes, salt and olive oil in another pan.
• Turn to low, or low-medium, and let simmer as you fry the eggplant.
• Cook down until tomatoes are reduced by half.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Smear bottom and sides of (approximately 11X7 baking dish, ceramic preferred) baking dish with butter.
• Place a single layer, overlapping, of eggplant in bottom of dish.
• Dot with cooked tomato.
• Cover with layer of mozzarella, sprinkle quite liberally with grated parm, and snip basil leaves across.
• Repeat process, finishing with a layer of eggplant on top.
• Sprinkle with remaining parm and place dish in upper third of oven.
• Check dish after 20 minutes.
• If there is too much liquid being released, remove excess with spoon.
• Cook for another 15 minutes.
• Let rest before serving.
• For a wonderful freezer meal:.
• To freeze: Cover dish with foil and freeze. When frozen you can pop it out of the container and put in a freezer bag if desired. Individual portions can be cut and microwaved as well for a quick meal!
• To heat: Thaw and preheat oven to 350°F Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more.

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!

SIMPLE EGGPLANT PARM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Arrange the eggplant halves cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Using the tip of a knife, score the flesh of the eggplant, being careful not to cut all the way through. Rub them evenly with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with the salt. Roast until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the eggplant from the oven and divide the marinara evenly over the halves. Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl. Top the eggplant with the breadcrumb mixture and return to the oven until golden brown and bubbly, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and pepper flakes.

ROASTED EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and arrange three racks evenly spaced.
• Lay the eggplant in one layer on three sheet pans and brush both sides with olive oil, using all the oil. Sprinkle with the oregano, crushing it lightly in your hands, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the slices and rotate the pans in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, until tender. Leave the oven at 400 degrees F.
• In a 10 by 14 by 2-inch ceramic baking dish, spread a third of the marinara sauce. Arrange a third of the eggplant on top in one layer. Scatter a third of the basil, a third of the mozzarella, a third of the goat cheese, and a third of the Parmesan on top. Repeat twice, starting with the marinara and ending with the Parmesan, making sure each layer is evenly distributed.
• For the topping, place the bread crumbs, garlic, and basil in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse to moisten the crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dish.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place bread crumbs on a shallow plate. Pour egg substitute onto another shallow plate. Place a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet.
• Take a round of eggplant, dip it into the egg substitute until fully covered, and then drag through the bread crumbs until completely coated; transfer to a wire rack.
• Repeat for each round of eggplant and then bake in oven for 15 minutes.
• While eggplant is baking, heat olive oil in a 5-quart nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft, about 1 1/2 minutes.
• Add the chili flakes and stir to incorporate. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and stir to blend completely. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the basil, and remove from heat.
• Remove eggplant from oven and leave oven at 350 degrees F.
• Line the bottom of a medium-sized casserole dish (about 13 by 11 inches) with the eggplant rounds.
• Pour the tomato sauce over the eggplant and top with the cheeses.
• Bake for 30 minutes until cheese is soft and bubbly.
• Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) PARMESAN

Steps:

• preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• mix egg and milk together in bowl, blend.
• heat olive oil in med frying pan.
• dip eggplant slices into egg/milk mixture.
• dip eggplant into breadcrumbs.
• place 4 slices at a time, into olive oil in frying pan.
• fry eggplant on each side, until each side is golden brown (you want them crispy, not mushy).
• remove eggplant from skillet, and place on paper towels to drain excess oil.
• repeat dipping and frying proces with other 4 eggplant slices.
• place 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce into 9x13 casserole dish.
• place eggplant into bottom of cassserole.
• pour spaghetti sauce over top of eggplant.
• sprinkle mozzarella/parmesan cheese over top of spaghetti sauce.
• bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• serve over pasta if desired.