Restaurant Style 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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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.

RESTAURANT STYLE EGGPLANT PARM

Steps:

• Add diced onions and garlic to a saucepan with olive oil over medium-high heat and saute for 1-2 minutes. Don't let them burn.
• Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan and stir well.
• Add the salt, pepper, basil and sugar to the pot and allow to come to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. If you're in a hurry the sauce is basically ready. I like to give the sauce another 15-20 minutes but give the flavors a little time to build. Marinara is a quick sauce originally made on ships to feed hungry sailors quickly.*Feel free to use your favorite jarred sauce, if you'd rather not make the marinara
• The first step in making Restaurant-Style Eggplant Parm is to set up a breading station. Flour Seasoned with salt and pepper - eggwash- breadcrumbs.*egg wash is whole eggs, whipped with water, milk or a combination of both. I usually use 2 eggs with ½ cup of water.
• Dredge the eggplant cutlets in flour seasoned with salt and black pepper, completely coating the eggplant.
• Next, dip the floured eggplant into an egg wash
• Finally, place the egg-dipped eggplant cutlets into bread crumbs, making sure to completely coat the eggplant with the bread crumbs.
• Add about ½ an inch of your favorite oil to a large saute pan or skillet. Let the oil heat up or medium-high heat, until a bit of breading dropped into the oil, begins to sizzle.When the oil is hot enough, carefully add the eggplant cutlets to the pan using tongs. Don't drop them in, the oil can splatter and burn you!Let the cutlets sautee on each side for about 2 minutes or until you have a nice golden brown color. Move the finished cutlets to a screen (or paper towels) to drain off the excess oil.
• Add a little sauce to the baking dish then place the eggplant cutlet on top of the sauce. Then add a sprinkle of grated Romano cheese on top of the sauce. Don't skimp on the sauce!
• Add shredded mozzarella on top of the sauce, followed by a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley (it will make it look even prettier).I like to leave a little of the cutlet showing for visual effect.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the cheese is nicely melted. If you'd like to cook the eggplant more allow the eggplant to bake for 15 minutes before adding the cheese. Give it an additional 10 minutes or so to let the cheese melt.
• Serve with your favorite pasta and enjoy!