I know. This is my second recipe featuring eggplant. I told you. I’m in love with the stuff. I always thought eggplant parmesan was one of those Americanized Italian foods. But it’s not! I ate it quite a few times while living in Italy; and it was always delicious.
My favorite place to eat it is on the beach. I know that sounds kind of strange, but down in Positano, on our favorite beach, we thank our lucky stars if the owner’s mama decides to make eggplant parmesan on a day we’re there. I’ve been trying to emulate her recipe ever since.
My favorite place to eat it is on the beach. I know that sounds kind of strange, but down in Positano, on our favorite beach, we thank our lucky stars if the owner’s mama decides to make eggplant parmesan on a day we’re there. I’ve been trying to emulate her recipe ever since.
Here’s your list of ingredients:
Eggplant
Salt
Olive oil
*Tomato sauce
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Parmesan, grated
*A word about the tomato sauce:
I simply drizzle a little olive oil in a saucepot and add a smashed garlic clove. Rub it around in the oil to flavor it and toss it out when it browns. Now add a can of good Italian tomato sauce (or chopped tomatoes in puree) to the hot oil and season with a good pinch of dried Italian herbs and a good pinch of salt. Tomato sauce done. I use this sauce for everything.
Eggplant
Salt
Olive oil
*Tomato sauce
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Parmesan, grated
*A word about the tomato sauce:
I simply drizzle a little olive oil in a saucepot and add a smashed garlic clove. Rub it around in the oil to flavor it and toss it out when it browns. Now add a can of good Italian tomato sauce (or chopped tomatoes in puree) to the hot oil and season with a good pinch of dried Italian herbs and a good pinch of salt. Tomato sauce done. I use this sauce for everything.
Remember how we had to make our eggplant sweat for the caponata recipe? We’re going to do the same thing here to keep the eggplant parmesan from getting too watery. Let’s get started.
Slice your eggplant into slices about ½ inch thick. Lay them out on paper towels and sprinkle liberally with salt. Let them sit there for about 30 minutes. Get the oven going to 400 degrees, and work on slicing your mozzarella. When you see good beads of sweat forming on the eggplant slices, flip them over quickly so the paper towel absorbs all the sweat beads and some of the salt as well.
Slice your eggplant into slices about ½ inch thick. Lay them out on paper towels and sprinkle liberally with salt. Let them sit there for about 30 minutes. Get the oven going to 400 degrees, and work on slicing your mozzarella. When you see good beads of sweat forming on the eggplant slices, flip them over quickly so the paper towel absorbs all the sweat beads and some of the salt as well.
Now transfer the slices to parchment paper covered cookie sheets to roast in the oven. Brush them lightly with a bit of olive oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until they get golden and shriveled looking, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and let the layering begin!
In an oven-proof baking dish, place a spoonful of tomato sauce, just to coat the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of eggplant followed by a layer of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon some tomato sauce over the top and repeat the layers. I usually make two layers before covering the whole thing with grated parmesan.
Pop the baking dish into the oven for about 30 minutes. When it comes out, let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it. Serve up beautiful squares of this ooey-gooey yumminess with a nice loaf of crusty bread for sopping up the sauce. You'll want to perform “la scarpetta” or the little shoe; the act of sopping up a good sauce with bread (to me, this is the ultimate sign that my guests enjoyed their meal!). Buon Appetito!
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