Eggplant Parmesan

Red wine is a given

Eggplant Parmesan is terrific for entertaining or feeding a crowd for a number of reasons: It’s easily doubled or tripled; the components can be prepared hours ahead; and the dish allows for fudging on the dinner time should your guests arrive late or cocktail hour runs long. Serve with a crusty sourdough baguette and a salad composed of romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and croutons. And yes, red wine is a given.

Eggplant Parmesan
Serves 4

You can certainly purchase marinara sauce (Newman’s Own is quite good) and few will be the wiser, however, my sauce is good enough to eat on its own.

Marinara Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
15-ounce can diced tomatoes
15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 large spring fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of sugar
1 bay leaf

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and chile flakes. Slowly cook until onion is soft, around 6 minutes. Add everything else, stir, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for a minimum of 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and up to an hour.

2. Carefully purée the sauce in a mini blender and place in a bowl. Taste for seasonings. This can be done 24 hours in advance, just cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

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You can buy seasoned Italian bread crumbs, but homemade are better. 

Seasoned Breading

2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons Italian parsley
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
2 cups dried bread cubes (preferably sourdough)

Directions

1. Place garlic and parsley in a mini blender and pulse until minced. Add cheese and bread cubes and pulse until you have a coarse crumb. You want some substance but not chunks.

2. Place in a flat dish large enough to coat the eggplant and set aside. Can be made 8 hours ahead, covered with plastic wrap, and kept at room temperature.

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Eggplant and Assemblage

2 medium eggplants
2 tablespoons salt
olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
8 ounces low moisture mozzarella cheese (not buffalo!), divided
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Two to four hours before assembling the dish slice eggplant into ¾-inch cross sections. You should have about eight slices per eggplant. Fill a large bowl with water, ice cubes, and the salt. Add eggplant slices to the water and place a small plate on top to keep the pieces submerged. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Eggplant is like a sponge and by pre-soaking it in water, it will both absorb less oil when frying and have a creamier texture.

2. Drain the eggplant, pat dry on paper towels, and place on left side of counter. Beat the eggs, salt, and pepper in an 9 x 13-inch baking pan and place next to the eggplant, with the bread crumbs on the right. This is your assembly line. Place a cooling rack over a cookie sheet next to the bread crumbs. Soak half the eggplant in the egg bath at a time. Coat each side, shake off the excess, and dredge both sides in bread crumbs, keeping the work area at one end of the dish to avoid getting the crumbs soggy. Place coated pieces on the cooling rack when finished.

3. Preheat oven to 350°. Over high temperature, heat a cast iron or heavy-duty skillet large enough to hold half the eggplant. Pour in enough olive oil to come 1½ inches up the side of the pan. When oil is shimmering hot, add half the slices and brown about 4 minutes on each side, regulating heat to avoid burning, until crisp and nicely colored. Place on the cooling rack to drain. Add more oil as needed and heat before repeating with the second half.

4. Slice three-fourths of the mozzarella into enough ¼-inch to ½-inch slices for pieces to go between each slice of eggplant including the front slices. (In Holland, it’s impossible to find low-moisture mozzarella other than pre-grated. Shredded works if you pack enough between pieces.) If you have a block of mozzarella, grate the remaining quarter for the topping.

5. Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. To assemble, ladle half of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the pan. Arrange eggplant, semi-standing up, in rows. Tuck mozzarella between each slice. Distribute the rest of the marinara over the top and sprinkle with grated mozzarella and Parmesan.     

6. Cover casserole tightly with tin foil. Place in oven and bake for an hour, and up to an hour and 15 minutes. Remove tin foil, increase oven temperature to 425° and bake until brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before plating. You can turn off the oven and let the eggplant sit in the oven for a half hour with no ill effect.

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Title Photo: © voloshin311