Monday, December 28, 2009

Eggplant Parmigiano


Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants
Flour for dregging (about 2 cups)
1/8 tsp Pepper
1/2 Cup grated Parmigiano (for frying)
5 eggs
A 26 ounce jar of Pasta Sauce (or see recipe for "Sunday Gravy")
Olive oil for frying
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese - sliced thin
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmigiano (for baking)



Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degree.
Peel the eggplant and slice very thin - about 1/8"
(Optional: Lay the slices on paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt.  After 30 minutes, rinse and drain the slices)
Heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium flame. 
Pour the flour into a shallow dish and stir in the pepper.
In a second shallow dish, beat 5 eggs and stir in the grated cheese.
Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, then the egg/cheese mixture.  Then place them in the heated oil to fry in batches to a golden brown, turning each slice once.  Drain the slices on paper towel.  You will probably need to replenish the oil about half way through the process. 

In a 13x9 baking dish, place a thin layer of sauce all over the bottom.  Add a layer of the fried eggplant, overlapping slightly,  and another thin layer of sauce.  Then arrange slices of mozzarella cheese, covering the sauce and sprinkle a little of the grated cheese.  Repeat at least 2 more layers - eggplant, sauce, cheese.  Depending on how large the eggplants were, you may have some left over.  On the top of the last layer, arrange smaller slices of mozzarella decoratively in a pattern that will guide slicing each portion while serving.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese begins to brown.  Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve as a vegetable course.

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