My Moms Favorite Eggplant Parm Food

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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MY MAMA'S EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Wash and peel eggplant; cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.
• Combine egg and water; dip eggplant slices into egg mixture, then into flour, turning to coat both sides.
• In a large skillet cook eggplant, half at a time, in hot oil for 4 to 6 minutes or until golden, turning once. (If necessary, add additional oil.) Drain on paper towels.
• Place the eggplant slices in a single layer in an ungreased 2-quart rectangular baking dish. (If necessary, cut slices to fit.) Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Top with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, in a 400°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until heated through.

MY MOM'S FAVORITE EGGPLANT PARM

Steps:

• Ok. So. This is time-consuming but totally totally worth it.
• First you have to sweat the eggplant. Slice the eggplant into thin slices and layer the slices in a bowl after salting them generously but carefully. Try to make the salt evenly distributed. After they're salted, cover and set aside.
• While the eggplant is sweating, work on the sauce.
• Add some olive oil to the pot and heat. Then add in the chopped onion and garlic and a dash of salt. Cook until the onions soften a bit.
• Chop some of the basil leaves and add into the onion mixture. Stir, then add in the chopped fresh tomatoes, not the canned. Cook down until the tomatoes soften. Add salt to taste.
• Finally, add in the San Marzano tomatoes. Mix in sugar to taste. You want the sauce a bit on the sweet side, but not actually fully sweet. Just somewhere in between.
• Simmer for about 30 minutes.
• While the eggplant is still sweating/your sauce is cooking down, prep the cheese. Slice the mozzarella ball into half then into thin slices, should be about 12 or so total.
• Get out a bowl of all purpose flour for dredging.
• Check your eggplant. there should be a pool of water at the bottom of the bowl, and the slices should have softened. You can choose to either pat the eggplant dry or not, I haven't found it to make a big difference other than that it's easier to coat it in flour before frying.
• Get out your favorite large frying pan, fill that boy up with olive oil, and turn the heat up to medium high.
• Dredge each slice of eggplant in flour and fry until golden. If they get a little darker, it's ok. Set each fried slice aside. I like to put them on paper towels to get some of the extra oil out.
• Once they're done, it's time to actually build the dish.
• Layer the slices, sauce and cheeses in a baking pan. I usually do the eggplant, sauce, parmesan, then mozzarella. You should be able to do two layers. On the top layer, add in single basil leaves between the basil slices.
• Bake at 350 for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and browned.
• Let cool for about 10 minutes.
• Eat. :).

BETTER-THAN-MY-MOM'S CHICKEN PARM

Steps:

• Mix two eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, mix 3 parts Italian breadcrumbs to 1 part flour. This helps bind the breading to the chicken more easily and prevents it from falling off in the frying pan. In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of your salad dressing.
• Trim excess fat from chicken and rinse under cool water. Bathe chicken thoroughly in egg mixture, then lightly coat in dressing. Place chicken in breadcrumbs and press down, covering completely.
• In a large saucepan, add 2/3 cup of vegetable oil and 1/3 cup of olive oil over medium heat. Toss a few drops of water onto oil to make sure it's hot. Add your chicken and cook about 12 minutes (longer for bigger cuts of chicken). Cook chicken in two batches to ensure each piece is evenly cooked.
• Preheat your oven to 400. In a medium bowl, empty your sauce and add 1/4 cup of water. Mix. Spoon a thin layer of sauce mixture into a large casserole dish. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese into dish. Add chicken into dish as it's finished. Cover each piece of chicken generously with sauce and cheese. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.
• Serve over pasta and add extra sauce, as needed.

NOT MY MOM'S EGGPLANT PARMESAN (VEGAN AND GLUTEN-FREE)

Steps:

• Start boiling water for pasta. Whenever it boils, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
• Meanwhile, start heating spaghetti sauce in a saucepan. Add garlic powder, onion powder, basil, and oregano, and any other seasonings you like. Fresh herbs are even better if you have them. Be sure to stir occasionally.
• While the water is coming to a boil and the sauce is heating, also heat oil in a frying pan. Use enough to cover the bottom of the pan with about 1/4 inch of oil. Don't skimp. Mix nutritional yeast and cornstarch. Slice eggplant. Dip each slice in Bragg liquid aminos then in yeast mixture. Fry coated eggplant slices in oil. Note: if oil is not hot when you add the eggplant, you will have soggy eggplant. You may have to fry the eggplant in 2-3 batches depending on the size of your frying pan. Set the cooked slices aside on a plate covered with a paper towel. Add more oil in between batches if necessary, but be sure to heat it before adding more eggplant.
• When everything is cooked, add a little pasta and a few eggplant slices to each plate. Top with spaghetti sauce and sprinkle with vegan parmesan or more nutritional yeast. If you use pretty plates and garnish with a little fresh parsley or fresh basil, people with think you were in the kitchen all day.

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.