Real Deal Eggplant Parmesan Food

GRANDMOM-STYLE BAKED EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Peel the eggplant and slice it horizontally into slices no more than 1/4" thick.
• Line a half-sheet pan or large baking pan with paper towels. Lay the eggplant in a single layer and salt generously, front and back. Do another layer of paper towels if necessary. Let the eggplant sit for about 30 minutes. This is a good time to make your marinara and get your mise en place set up for the frying.
• Make your marinara. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Set up three flat-bottomed bowls (wide soup or salad bowls work great): one with flour, one with whisked eggs, and one with breadcrumbs.
• Pat the eggplant dry of excess moisture. The salt should have dissolved and mostly absorbed into the eggplant. This is why you don't need extra salt in the recipe. Reserve the sheet pan and line it with fresh paper towels.
• Working one at a time, dredge the eggplant slices in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, coating fully and shaking off the excess.
• Heat enough oil in a large skillet to be about 1/8" high in the pan, or slightly less, over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add a few eggplant slices and cook them until golden brown on each side, about three minutes per side. Watch the temperature of the oil. You may need to adjust the heat a little as you go. Drain the cooked eggplant on the paper towel-lined sheet pan.PRO TIP: How do you know the oil is ready? It should be about 350°F. But I don't use a thermometer. I look to see if the oil is shimmering, and drop a pinch of breadcrumbs into the oil. They should sizzle. If the oil is smoking, it is way too hot.
• Spoon a thin layer of marinara into the bottom of a lightly-greased casserole pan. Layer fried eggplant slices to cover the bottom. Do another ladle of marinara over the eggplant. You do not have to fully coat the eggplant. Dollops are fine. Sprinkle a generous amount of the mozzarella. Repeat, layering the eggplant, marinara, and finishing with the mozzarella. Add the large pinches grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino-Romano cheese.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve hot, preferably with a side of pasta, a sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley, and additional grated cheese.

MIKE'S DELI FAMOUS EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and heat oil in a large pan, Dutch oven or deep-fryer.
• Peel the eggplant and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Coat each side of the eggplant with the flour.
• In a separate bowl beat 4 eggs and dip the eggplant into the egg to coat both sides. Then take your bread crumbs and do the same to coat each side.
• Once the oil is hot, put the eggplant in the hot oil and fry until golden brown. You can also use a deep-fryer and leave in for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Once all of the eggplant has been fried, get a rectangular baking pan and start the layering by adding the marinara sauce to the bottom of the pan, then the eggplant, more sauce, fresh mozzarella, Romano cheese, and continue to layer until you have reached the top of the pan. Top off with sauce, mozzarella, and grated Romano
• Place the eggplant into the oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

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
• Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

REAL DEAL EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• 1. Prepare a large baking sheet with food release spray.
• 2. Cut eggplant, crosswise, into 1/4-1/2 inch slices. Arrange the slices on the baking sheet. Brush or spray the slices with the olive oil.
• 3. Bake eggplant slices at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. While the eggplant is baking prepare the dip, dredge, and coat mixtures, and the sauce.
• 4. DIP: Beat the eggs with the milk or water. Set aside in a shallow bowl or dish. DREDGE: Mix the flour with the 3T of oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside in a shallow bowl or dish. COATING: Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl or dish. Set aside.
• 5. SAUCE: Put tomatoes, 2T of oregano, basil, onion, garlic, and wine in pitcher of the blender, and pulse until combined.
• 6. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with food release spray. Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.
• 7. Dip the eggplant slices, one at a time, into the egg mixture, then dredge in the flour mixture. Dip again into the egg mixture and then coat with the breadcrumbs. Layer half of the eggplant slices in the baking dish.
• 8. On top of prepared eggplant slices, layer half the pecorino and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of parmesan. Make a second layer, beginning with more eggplant slices, then remaining pecorino, and another 1/3 cup of parmesan.
• 9. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the top to cover. Combine the remaining 1/3 cup of parmesan with any remaining breadcrumbs, and sprinkle over the top.
• 10. Bake 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.
• 11. NOTE: 1) If possible, try to select eggplant as evenly shaped as possible -- not too much wider at one end than the other. 2) Pecorino is the original cheese, but mozzarella works, too. 3) I used almond meal/flour in place of all purpose flour, to make this recipe Paleo friendly -- it worked perfectly! You can leave off the cheeses, or if you don't mind "coloring outside the lines" a bit, try using a little goat cheese to replace the pecorino, and leave off the parmesan. 4) If you prefer, you can slice the eggplant lengthwise, then layer the planks in the opposite direction on the second layer. Crushing the dried herbs in your hand before putting them into the recipe helps release their wonderful flavor and aroma.

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and season with salt and the red pepper flakes; cook until the onions are soft and translucent, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the sugar and tomatoes and break up some of the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring from time to time, until the tomatoes are fairly broken down, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Let cool.
• Prepare the eggplant: Put the eggplant rounds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt on both sides and let sit, about 1 hour. Rinse the eggplant with cold water and dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel. (Salting the eggplant draws out the liquid and bitter flavor, but it's optional: Skip this step if you don't have time.)
• Put the flour in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and season with salt and pepper. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, oregano and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour and shake off any excess. Dip in the egg mixture and finally in the breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Lay the eggplant slices on baking sheets in a single layer.
• Heat about 1/2 inch vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke lightly (between 380 degrees F and 400 degrees F). Using tongs, add a single layer of eggplant to the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season lightly with salt. Repeat until all of the eggplant is fried.
• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spoon about one-quarter of the tomato sauce into a 9-by-13-inch flameproof baking dish. Top with a layer of the fried eggplant, overlapping the slices slightly. Top with about one-quarter of the mozzarella, then sprinkle with about one-third each of the parmesan, provolone and basil. Repeat the layering 2 more times (sauce, eggplant, cheese, basil), then finish with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Press the layers firmly into the dish. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. For an extra-brown top, put the dish under the broiler for a minute or two just before serving.

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!