Saturday, January 8, 2011

Day 5 - Eggplant Parmesan

If you can buy Organic then go ahead, if not do the best you can.  Here's what I use:

2 or 3 Organic Eggplant
1 28oz. Can Tomato Puree (Muir Glen Organic)
2 Cups fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
1 Cup fresh Mozzarella Cheese (Costco has great FRESH Mozzarella)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Get a large saute pan nice and hot.  Pour olive oil in to a bowl.  Slice eggplant crosswise in 1/2 inch slices.  Dip each piece of eggplant in to the olive oil and then place it in the hot pan.  Do this until all eggplant are golden brown on the outside.  Shred or slice the mozzarella and shred the parmigiano cheeses.  Open the can of tomato puree and spoon a thin layer on the bottom of a small baking dish (last time i made this I used a 9 inch glass pie pan).  Place one layer of eggplant on top of the sauce.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Add half of the mozzarella and half of the parmigiano cheese.  Spoon in just a little sauce scatter all over, very light.  Next, another layer of eggplant, salt, a little more salt, and top with rest of the cheese.  Bake at 400 until lightly browned on top and bubbling!  Mangia!





3 comments:

  1. Hey Greg!
    I'm Italian (well, my Grandfather was from Sicily, not me!) and we always make our eggplant parm by dipping in egg, breading with breadcrumbs & Parm cheese and frying til golden, then layering with the sauce and cheese. I find that they don't make it this way in CA but where I grew up in MA, they make it our way all of the time. Is this how you learned it in Italy? I know all regions cook differently so that might be it. Enjoying your blogging but still miss you on the air!

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  2. Yes...that is how Paola prepared it and how she taught me in Italy. I've had breaded E-Parm before and have noticed that the breading never holds up after baking and tends to make the whole dish a little more "gummy". Saute-ing the eggplant first gives it more flavor, and allows it to render off some of its natural liquid.
    My friend Chef Gavin Kaysen at Cafe Boulud in NYC fries his breaded eggplant in Duck Fat! Ina Garten, the barefoot contessa, orders it overtime she eats there!

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  3. Well, I have made it both ways (no duck fat though!) but I still prefer the breaded and I guess that's because both of my grandmothers made it that way. One of them is still alive but she's getting up there in age so she doesn't cook that often...besides the fact that she's back in MA where I'm from! Love your blog and thanks for the response! ;)

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