We bring you EGGPLANT PARMESAN
from Pete D'Angelo of Houston McCoy
Found in Kara Zuaro's I LIKE FOOD, FOOD TASTES GOOD.
INGREDIENTS:
2 medium-sized eggplants
one 3-pack of little (12-ounce) cartons of Egg Beaters (or 3-4 eggs, if Egg Beaters are not available)
milk
1 container Progresso ITALIAN style Bread Crumbs
olive oil
two 26-ounce jars of sauce (You can usually get some sort of deal from a brand like Classico, which has all sorts of awesome flavors. I like to get two different ones, including one of the spicier varieties, though if you want a more puritan delight I'm sure you can just double up the red sauce.)
one 16-ounce package of whole milk mozzarella (store brand is fine)
1 bunch of fresh basil
oregano
salt
pepper
1 small fresh smoked mozzarella
TOOLS:
1 large skillet
1 rectangular baking dish
1 apron! (you're gonna be frying here and I would hate you to ruin that nice shirt)
1 spatula
1 awesome knife
Ok, here's how this goes...
DIRECTIONS:
1. I don't peel the eggplant. Some folks find the skin unnecessary, but in this context, it's not really a problem. Get your awesomely sharp knife (but be careful) and start slicing the eggplant into round slices about 1/2 to 1/4 of an inch thick. If you make them too big they're gonna be harder to cook through, so err on the side of thinness.
2. Set up a little station for yourself by the stove top. In one bowl, put your first container of Egg Beaters. I don't really get why they taste different, but Grandma swears by them, so we're just gonna take her word. Throw a little splash of milk in there if you've got some to spare, you'll get a little more mileage out of the mixture that way. Get a large plate next to the bowl and give it a liberal covering with the bread crumbs. Both the eggs and the bread crumbs will likely need to be replenished as this process goes on - just fill 'em back up when resources run low.
3. Get some oil sizzling in the frying pan - 1/2 an inch thick or so, at most. Keep the heat strong till it pops when you flick some water on it, and you are ready to fry. Everything tastes better fried, but frying everything will kill you. That said, it's a tasty way to go.
4. Take a slice of eggplant, fully submerge in the Egg Beaters, let the excess drain off, and then drop it in the bread crumbs, flipping around until it's fully coated. Then drop it carefully into the oil and repeat with the next slice. You can usually get a handful of pieces in there at a time, but this does take a little while. Leave the eggplant in the pan until it is fried golden brown and decently crisp. If you don't fry it long enough, this meal is going to be mush, and you have a lot of eggplant, so if you overcook a few it's no big deal. Drain the fried pieces on a plate with a paper towel, and repeat ad infinitum, making more layers with more paper towels; this will keep the earlier batches warm.
5. Get your baking tray and line the bottom with a single layer of eggplant slices. On top of each slice, spoon a big glob of sauce. Top the sauce with a thin slice of the store-brand mozzarella, and top that with a fresh basil leaf. Repeat for all the pieces on that layer. Then sprinkle the whole layer with oregano and some salt and pepper. Cover this all with another layer of eggplant and do it over and over again until you are out of eggplant and have reached the top of the tray. For this final layer, things are a bit different.
6. For the top layer, you can finish off whatever sauce you have left. Go ahead and dump it on there. Now, instead of the store cheese, open up the fresh smoked mozzarella and slice that thin. Cover up the top of the tray and try to arrange the pieces over the circles of the eggplant - it'll make cutting it easier. This cheese melts a little better so it's a nice way to finish things off. Give it another dash of salt and pepper, and you're almost done.
7. Throw the whole tray in the oven at 350° F for about 20 minutes. You want the cheese to get melted, but everything is already cooked so you're pretty safe. I usually stick my finger in the middle of it to see if it's hot all the way through, but that's disgusting and if anyone is looking at you, it may jeopardize their chances of enjoying this meal.
8. Serve with a bottle of red wine and a big loaf of crusty Italian bread. (If you have the choice between seeded and unseeded bread, always get the seeded!) If you don't like this, you are never going to like eggplant.
Serves 4-6.
0 comments
Post a Comment