Eggplant Parmesan or Parmigiana di Melanzane is a classic southern Italian dish. Sliced eggplant layered with marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella and pecorino romano cheese. I firmly believe that if someone tells you that they don’t like eggplant, serve them this dish and you will change their mind.
Everything great in life takes time and patience, this meal is no different. Give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the process as it can be a labor of love. It can be served as an appetizer, side or main course.
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
2 Eggplants
2T Salt
3 Eggs, beaten
3T Olive oil or cooking spray
3C Marinara sauce
12oz Fresh mozzarella
2C Freshly grated pecorino romano
2T Butter
Directions
Peel the eggplants and cut in 1/8-inch-thick slices and sprinkle both sides with salt. Place on flat cutting board. Cover with another cutting board with a weight on top. Leave for 1 hour, sweating eggplant. Drain and rinse in eggplant and pat dry with paper towel.Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. In a small bowl, add beaten eggs with a sprinkle of salt. Coat pan with cooking spray or 1T of olive oil and working in batches, dredge the eggplant in the eggs and fry both sides in sauté pan until golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining eggplant until all slices have been cooked coating the pan with cooking spray or olive oil between each batch.
Using butter, grease an 8inch x 8inch baking dish. Place a layer of marinara sauce in the bottom and cover with a single layer of eggplant and a layer of mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat until you have about 5 layers. Top with marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan. Dot with butter and bake in preheated oven at 400°F for 35 minutes.
Cibo E Famiglia 