The recipe, of course! It's really quite easy, just a bit of a pain in the butt to fry all the eggplant and requires some patience. (Sorry if the detail is a bit much, just trying to be helpful
)
For one pan of eggplant parm (serves 4-6):
3/4 aubergines cut into 1/4" slices
Italian breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning mixed in)
Olive Oil (preferably Extra Virgin)
2 eggs, beaten lightly
Fresh Basil (optional)
1 ball fresh mozzerella torn into small pieces
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (or to taste)
1 can tomato sauce (as a note here, I have also made this with my own sauce and to be totally honest, its just not worth the extra work. A good quality marinara/tomato and basil sauce gives just the right flavor—and frankly might even taste better—but feel free to make your own if you must)
First, salt one side of the eggplant generously and lay out in a single layer for about 10 min, then repeat on the other side. This will leech out some of the water, which will both reduce the amount of oil the slices soak up in frying as well as taking out some of the bitterness.
Make sure you rinse the slices before the next step. This step is actually quite important so dont skip it!
Working in batches of two or three, depending on your pan size, dip the slices in egg, then dredge in the breadcrumbs and fry in Olive Oil (just enough to lightly coat the pan) on med-high heat until brown on both sides and the flesh is mostly soft, about 5-10 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. This will require a lot of oil by the end, but it is 'good fat' after all. Also, Extra Virgin is obviously not a requirement, but the flavor of the oil is prevalent in the final dish so using Extra Virgin will pay off in the end.
Preheat the oven to 350 (175 C). In the bottom of a baking dish spread just enough of the sauce to thinly cover the base of the pan. On top of this add a layer of the fried eggplant (dont be afraid to double up if some of the slices are too thin). On top of the eggplant slices add more of the sauce to cover, this time a more substantial layer. If you think you've got three layers of eggplant, use a third of the sauce, if you've only got two, use half, etc. On top of the sauce add some small pieces of mozzerella, evenly dotted over the surface and grate a solid layer of parmesan on top of this. If using fresh basil tear up some leaves and disperse them over the top as well. Repeat the layering, ending with sauce and cheese on top. Bake until bubbly, brown and crispy on top, usually about 35-45 minutes.
You
can eat it immediately, of course, but never fear if there's leftovers, everyone knows eggplant parm is even better the day after.
Enjoy!
