Eggplant Parmesan
15 Dec
On our way to lunch on Saturday in Astoria, we passed by this grocery store called Tomato. It was one of those unassuming stores with produce outside. There were these beautiful, gigantic eggplants caught my eye – and for merely $.69 a pound.
I grabbed two of them and a bunch of parsley for $2.53! Even produce shopping is fun when you’re with friends 
I must go back there soon, especially since farmers markets are closed for the winter.
Eggplant parm is quite easy to make. Let me rephrase. It’s easy in the sense that once you are familiar with the steps, it’s hard to mess up. However, it is a time consuming dish so keep that in mind before cooking.
It’s not a 30 minute meal; that’s for sure. But neither are most of her dishes on that show!
Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients:
1.5 pounds of eggplant, sliced into 1/4″ slices
3 cups of vegetable oil
2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of bread crumbs
1 cup of all purpose flour
16 oz. of mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 box of dry pasta
3 eggs
3 garlic cloves, minced
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 fresh tomatoes, diced (optional)
Procedure:
1. Slice the eggplant into 1/4″ rings. Stack 1 layer and sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat. Let stand for 1 hour. This will help the eggplant sweat and get rid of the moisture.
(Can you believe all those slices are from one eggplant? )
2. After the hour has passed, using a paper towel, wipe down all excess salt and moisture.
3. In 3 separate dishes, lay breadcrumbs, flour and eggs. Whisk the eggs briefly to make it easier to work with. Now, get ready for the fun part.
4. Coat both sides of the eggplant by drudging in flour first, followed by egg, then breadcrumbs. This might take a while. As you finish dredging, you might find that the undressed eggplant slices are soggy. Wipe it down with more paper towels before continuing.
5. Heat oven to 375 F.
6. Heat up a frying pan with about an inch of vegetable or corn oil, then lower temperature to medium. (Olive oil is not recommended, as it will burn.) Cook eggplant slices until crispy, about a minute and a half on each side.
7. In a casserole dish, stack tomato pieces and sauce, along with a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Add mozzarella if you’d like. I just topped mine with mozzarella on top only but it’s really up to you.
8. Bake in oven for 17-18 minutes. While it’s cooking, you can boil the pasta and make the sauce.
9. For the sauce, saute minced garlic over low heat with a hint of olive oil. Then add canned tomatoes.
10. Plate and serve.
Eggplant is a watery vegetable so it has the potential to get very soggy, so the first step is very helpful in helping the eggplant keep shape.
Enjoy!
