Eggplant Parmesan
When prepared properly (patience included), eggplant parmesan is the poster child for luscious comfort food. In my opinion, the key to this recipe rests in two aspects: salting the sliced eggplant and allowing it to rest for an ample amount of time pre-breading/cooking and allowing the the dish to cool for at atleast 30-40 minutes before slicing and serving.
Ingredients
Marinara
- 2 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 onion Peeled and sliced in half
- 3 garlic cloves Fresh, minced
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup red wine Something you would drink
- 2-3 dried bay leaves
- parmesan rinds
- 1 tbsp salt plus more as needed
- 1 tsp black pepper plus more, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- orange peel approximately 3", to balance the acidity
Eggplant & Assembly
- 4 eggplant Medium in size. Peeled and sliced lengthwise into 1/2"thick slices
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 6 eggs whisked well
- 3 cups panko bread crumbs
- 2 cups vegetable/olive oil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 cups parmesan grated, divided - plus more for serving
- 2 cups low-moisture shredded mozzarella
- 8 oz mozzarella ball torn into 1-2" pieces
- 1/2 cup basil fresh, chopped
Instructions
Marinara
- Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion halves and cook until beginning to brown (8-10 minutes).
- Add in minced garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring here and there, until fragrant (1-2 minutes).
- Mix in tomato paste, salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally until tomato paste begins to darken, 2-3 minutes. Add in bay leaves.
- Pour in wine and deglaze pan.
- Then, carefully dump in both cans of tomatoes and toss in parmesan rinds and orange peel. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low and allow sauce to reduce and cook until onion is soft and sauce is quite flavorful - 1.5-2 hours. Add more salt as needed. Remove and discard bay leaves, orange peel, parmesan rinds and remnants of onion. Season as needed.
Eggplant
- Set a wire rack inside a baking sheet and line it with paper towels. Layer eggplant slices single file and salt liberally. Repeat eggplant layering with paper towels. Allow to sit for at least a couple of hours and up to one whole day.
- After eggplant slices have rested, combine panko, one cup parmesan, dried oregano and a couple of pinches of salt in a food processor and pulse until well combined.
- One at a time, dredge eggplant slices in flower, egg (allowing excess to drip, and then coat well all over in bread crumb mixture.
- Set slices on a wire rack single file.
- Add vegetable/olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven and heat over medium-high. Cook dredged eggplant pieces a few at a time until golden brown (3-5 minutes).
- Remove from oil and add to paper towel-topped plate. Press with more paper towels gently to absorb oil. Repeat with remaining slices of eggplant.
Eggplant Parmesan Assembly
- Pre-heat oven to 350. In a casserole dish, disperse one cup of marinara, followed by a single layer of fried eggplant slices, more marinara and then 1/3 cup of the cheese mixture.
- Repeat steps starting with eggplant slices, sauce and then finishing with cheese layer until you run out of eggplant - I usually get three layers, but it all depends on your dish.
- Cover with foil and bake for 50-60 minutes. Remove foil and increase oven to 425F.
- Top with torn fresh mozzarella and bake for another 20 minutes - cheese should be golden on top.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30-40 minutes before slicing to ensure lasagna-like slices. Serve garnished with grated parmesan and fresh basil.
