My Mamas Eggplant Parmigiana Recipes

GRANDMA'S ITALIAN EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• Lay eggplant slices on top of paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt to draw out moisture. Cover with additional paper towels. Let sit, 8 hours to overnight.
• Place flour into a 1-gallon plastic zip-top bag. Sprinkle salt and pepper into the flour and shake the bag to mix. Place 6 eggplant slices into the bag, seal, and shake to coat.
• Beat eggs and water together using a fork in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 inches of oil over medium-high heat in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Line baking sheets with paper towels to drain eggplants after frying.
• Shake excess flour from eggplant slices and place into egg mixture, turning to ensure both sides are coated. Allow excess egg mixture to drip off before placing slices into the hot oil. Fry until slightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the paper towel-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Pecorino Romano cheese. Repeat process until all eggplant slices are fried. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Pour a small amount of tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan to cover. Place 1/3 of the eggplant slices over sauce, slightly overlapping them. Sprinkle 1/3 of the remaining Pecorino-Romano cheese and Parmesan cheese evenly over the slices. Cover with a light layer of sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over sauce. Repeat for a total of 3 layers.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes to set.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Layer half each of the eggplant and mushrooms in 13x9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray; cover with layers of 1/3 each of the Parmesan and mozzarella. Repeat layers.
• Top with pasta sauce; cover.
• Bake 35 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

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.

MAMMA AGATA'S EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• - Prepare the eggplant. Wash the eggplant and remove the top and bottom of each. Peel the eggplant lengthwise in strips, leaving some of the skin intact. Slice the eggplant lengthwise, but not too thin, as it will reduce in size once cooked. - Layer the slices of eggplant in a colander and sprinkle each layer with a pinch of salt. Let set for 15-20 minutes. This will allow the eggplant to release excess water and its bitter taste. Holding 3-4 slices at one time, gently squeeze from top to bottom to get out any excess water. Do not rinse. - Sprinkle a bit of flour onto a plate and individually dip each slice of eggplant into the flour. Do this quickly to ensure that the eggplant does not absorb too much flour. - Set out a few paper towels. Using a cast iron skillet or heavy frying pan, heat the oil over medium high heat to about 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry each slice of eggplant until it is lightly golden brown. Drain and transfer to paper towels to allow excess oil to be absorbed. - Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. - In a shallow baking dish, generously layer the ingredients in the following order: tomato sauce, eggplant, Parmesan, fresh mozzarella, smoked provolone, fresh basil leaves. Repeat. Repeat a third time, but leave out the mozzarella and provolone so that the dish cooks evenly without burning. Top it off with the remaining tomato sauce. - Place a baking sheet or aluminum foil in the bottom of the oven. Bake the eggplant parmigiana for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, increase the temperature to 400 degrees and bake the parmigiana for another 10 minutes. - Turn off the oven and leave the parmigiana in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to set for at least 40 minutes before serving *Buy the fresh mozzarella one or two days prior to making the eggplant parmigiana. Remove the mozzarella from its water and put in the fridge to dry out.

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!

MAMA'S EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• My instructions exceed the character count by 3x, so rather than cut them down until they are unrecognizable, I thought it might be better to include a link to my blog for the full directions and a picture of the dish: http://notinpinebrookanymore.blogspot.com/2011/05/mammas-eggplant-parmigiana.html The one thing I will include here is this: Most people who think they don't like eggplant say it's because it's bitter and seedy. That's because it wasn't made right. To avoid that, first peel the eggplants with a vegetable peeler. Then slice them about a 1/2 inch thick. Next, find a big grill pan and start lining it with layers of sliced eggplant. After each layer, give a liberal toss of the kosher salt. Once they're all on there, top it with an upside-down sheet pan and place some cookbooks or a cast-iron pot on top to weigh it down. This is THE most important step, as it will draw out the bitterness and pack down the seeds. If you make this dish, I'd love to hear what you think!