In all honesty until now I have never made Egg Plant Parmesan before. I was inspired to give it a try after enjoying a pizza with a fried eggplant topping at a restaurant in San Francisco. I devised this recipe from about ten others using what I thought was true to the dish but keeping it simple. Many recipes call for coating the eggplant slices then frying in oil. I went with baking the coated slices instead of frying one because it’s healthier and secondly I loath cleaning oil splatter. I enjoyed discovering this dish and best of all eating it.
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 large egg plants
1 large egg
1cup/8floz milk
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
4 oz grated Parmesan Cheese
8 oz grated mozzarella Cheese
1 26oz jar tomato basil Sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
Method
Wash and peel egg plants. Slice into 1/2 inch slices, sprinkle with salt and layer slices in a strainer/colander with a heavy bowl or cookbooks on top to apply pressure. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450°F/250°C. Spray or brush two large baking sheets with oil.
In a large shallow bowl whisk egg and milk together. Set up a dredging station by placing both flour and breadcrumbs onto separate plates. (I like to use paper plates for quick clean up.) Begin dreading the eggplant slices first in flour then the egg wash and finally the bread crumbs. Place on baking sheet and repeat until all slices are coated.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until slices are golden brown and slightly soft in texture. Turn oven down to 325°F/150°C.
In a baking dish begin layering eggplant, sauce and cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Once dish is removed from the oven allow to rest 15 minutes before serving.