Eggplant Parmesan

Now this is a labor-intense one.  I won’t lie about that.  But if you’re willing to challenge yourself a bit, it’s worth it.  This dish is fantastic.  We have actually made it several times.  In fact, we made chicken parmesan afterward and didn’t like it as much as this vegetarian delight!

We bought fresh eggplant from the farmer’s market.  The woman selling them gave us a little tip: the smaller the “hole” on the end of the eggplant, the fewer the seeds.  

Since this is a more involved dish, I decided to document a few steps along the way.  After you slice the eggplants into round slices, spread them out on a baking sheet and liberally sprinkle them with pickling salt.  This will draw out a lot of the moisture.  See all the beading?  Pretty crazy, huh?  You don’t want this to be wet when they go into the hot oil.  1. It will spatter.  2. They can turn out soggy.

Rinse them off with cool water in a colander and then dry them with a paper towel.  Create yourself a dredging station with flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.  The breadcrumbs should be seasoned.  We bought pre-seasoned Italian breadcrumbs, and yes they’re whole wheat.  The flour helps the egg coat the eggplant, and the egg helps the breadcrumbs stick.  Spread them all out and heat up your cooking oil.  Fry them for about 3 minutes, flipping once, in small batches.  If you overcrowd your oil, the temperature will drop and they won’t fry fast enough.

Blot off excess oil with paper towels after frying.  I like to fry them on the side burner of my grill outside so the house doesn't smell like frying oil.  All you'll smell at the end of this dish is deliciousness.  Yes, that's a word. 

Then layer them into a casserole dish along with marinara sauce, mozzarella & parmesan cheeses -- much like you’re building a lasagna.  Bake until the cheese has melted and turned a golden brown.