Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant, you and I do not have a pleasant history. You weren’t really around when I was a kid, so the first time I encountered you was in eggplant parmesan at the Olive Garden in college. My vegetarian friend sang your praises, and wanting to appear adventurous, I tried a bite. Eggplant, you were mushy and bitter, not at all a good substitute for fried and breaded chicken.

Then there was the eggplant dish from some Williams-Sonoma cookbook that I tried to make during graduate school. I went out on a limb for you. I splurged on ingredients and spent the afternoon making the dish instead of working on my thesis. And how did you repay me? Again, eggplant, you were mushy and bitter. And just so you know, it was your fault I never made anything else from that cookbook.

But today, I take back everything bad I ever said about you, eggplant. Turns out, you can be pretty tasty.

Of course, I should have seen you creeping up on me. First, there was that ridiculously creamy baba ghanoush. Then, you snuck your way into ratatouille. And in fact, you can thank ratatouille (and the farm box with its near-interminable bounty) for convincing me to give you another chance.

In this dish, another winner from Cook’s Illustrated, you are light and crispy and flavorful. You actually have a taste, even when encased in breading and topped with cheese. You are neither soggy with grease nor bitter. And you may have inspired several boastful phone calls to Scheidt, proclaiming “This eggplant parmesan is soooooooo goooooooood!”

Eggplant Parmesan
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

I adapted the original recipe to serve 4 instead of 8 (just in case it was a dud, I didn’t want to be stuck with a ton!) This is also a more friendly quantity for smaller households.

A few notes: I actually used a ruler when cutting the eggplant. 1/4 inch is much thinner than I would have eyeballed, so I’m glad I did. Don’t skimp on waiting for the salt to work its magic, as this is what I’m pretty sure turns the eggplant from bitter to tasty. Start to finish, chopping and salting included, this dish took about 2 hours to prepare. While the recipe called for regular mozzarella, I used fresh. This meant a few more minutes in the oven, but mmm…. creaminess.

To reheat, put the portion to reheat on a microwave and oven-safe plate. Microwave 1 minute, then transfer the plate to a 350 degree F oven for about 15 minutes.

1 pound globe eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 slices high-quality white bread
3 ounces finely grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves: half chopped, half shredded for garnish
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced as thin as you can

Cooked spaghetti, to serve.

To prepare the eggplant: Toss the sliced eggplant and kosher salt. Put the eggplant in a colander set over a large bowl. Let stand until the eggplant releases 1-2 tablespoons of liquid, 30-45 minutes.

While the eggplant is draining, prepare the breading assembly line. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and put a half-sheet pan in there to get hot. Tear the bread into small pieces. Process in a food processor to fine, even crumbs, about 15 one-second pulses. Transfer the crumbs to a pie plate and stir in 2 ounces of grated parmesan, a few pinches of salt and several cracks of fresh-ground pepper.  Beat the 2 eggs in another pie plate. Put the flour in a gallon-size ziploc bag with a several more cracks of pepper. Organize your assembly line: flour bag, egg wash, bread crumbs, wire rack.

After you’ve done all of this, the eggplant will probably be ready. Rinse the eggplant well under tap water to remove the salt, then arrange slices in a single layer oh a triple-thickness of paper towels. Cover with another triple-thickness of paper towels. Use your body weight to press on each slice of eggplant, removing as much liquid as possible.

Put a few slices of eggplant into the ziploc bag with the flour and toss until well-coated. Shake the excess flour off each slice, then dip it in the egg wash. Let any excess egg drip off, then lay the slices in the bread crumbs. Pile bread crumbs on top of the slices, then shake the excess bread crumbs off. Set the slices on the wire rack until all of them are coated. At this point, remove the preheated baking sheet from the oven. Coat the baking sheet with the three tablespoons of vegetable oil, tilting the pan to cover the full surface. (Wear oven mitts; that sucker’s hot.) Arrange the eggplant in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown, flipping the eggplant carefully with a wide spatula after 20 minutes. Keep the oven on.

While the eggplant is in the oven, make the sauce. Process about half of the tomatoes in the food process (hey, it’s already dirty) until smooth. Heat olive oil, garlic and cayenne pepper in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the garlic is golden and fragrant.  Add all of the tomatoes – processed and diced – and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced slightly. Stir in the chopped basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep hot.

To assemble the eggplant parmesan: Spread some tomato sauce in the bottom of a 7 x 11 inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in the bottom of the dish, overlapping the slices. Distribute about a cup of sauce over the slices, then top with half of the mozzarella. Arrange the other half of the eggplant on top of the first layer, overlapping in the same direction for easy serving later. Distribute another cup of sauce around – but not over – the eggplant in the top layer. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Bake the dish for 13-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes. Toss the remaining sauce with al dente spaghetti. Scatter the shredded basil over top just before serving.

Tagged as: basil, cheese, eggplant, parmesan, tomatoes