Eggplant Parmesan
As you can see, all the layers are beautifully integrated.
We found a serrated vegetable peeler was the easiest way to peel the eggplant.
Perfectly even slices of eggplant -- nice, Merrill!
As we layered the eggplant in a colander, we salted each layer.
Weighing down the eggplant forces out some of the extraneous liquid. In addition to the can of tomatoes, we also added a quart of boxed chicken stock.
The simple sauce involved only hot olive oil, freshly sliced garlic, and San Marzano tomatoes. Oh, and salt. Of course.
To break down the tomatoes, Amanda used her favorite potato masher. Given any excuse, she will use the potato masher...
After the eggplant had drained for about an hour, Merrill dried off each piece.
Then, we lightly floured the slices, tapping off the excess.
The slices browned on the bottom first, so be sure to check them by flipping them over.
The eggplant may not look promising at this stage, but the payoff comes later.
Nancy Jo calls for a 7x11 baking dish. We used one that was slightly larger and ended up with fewer layers, but it was delicious, and the edges were delightfully crispy.
After 2/3 of the eggplant had been layered with sauce and Parmesan, we added the buffalo mozzarella.
Pre-baking.
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Author Notes: This is my Nonna's recipe and most of the ingredients came from her beloved garden. She used to fry the eggplant in egg and flour, but I only use flour and fry them on baking sheets in a hot oven. I always thought the egg batter soaked up too much of the sauce. My version makes it lighter and creamier and you use a lot less oil. - Nancy Jo
Food52 Review: All of the cooking here is centered around getting the eggplant and tomatoes to the right texture so that when you fuse them, neither the sauce is watery nor the eggplant soggy. Nancy Jo accomplishes this by baking slabs of flour-dusted eggplant in the oven with just a trace of oil. They come out as stiff as cards. And the tomatoes are cooked down in the pan until pulpy. When the two meet in a baking dish, the eggplant soaks up some tomato juices but retains its own character so you get distinct layers. And Nancy Jo adds the mozzarella as a center layer, so you get the warm melted cheese right in the belly of the dish. Use fresh mozzarella, which is creamy and even a little sweet. - A&M - A&M
Serves 6
Eggplant
- 3 pounds eggplant (Choose the large variety. Make sure they are firm and smooth. Also, choose male eggplants. They have fewer seeds and have a rounder, smoother bottom)
- 1 cup flour
- salt
- generous amounts of olive oil
- 1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
- 1/2 pound buffalo-milk mozzarella (if the balls are small, get two)
Sauce
- 2 28 ounces cans of San Marzano (any brand is fine) canned whole peeled tomatoes (add another can if you want extra sauce left over)
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- enough olive oil to cover the pan
- Peel the eggplant and slice long ways into 1/4 inch slices.
- Sprinkle each layer with salt and place into a colander, overlapping and salting as you go. Each slice should be salted. After you fill the colander, place a plate on top and weight it with a heavy pan or a tea kettle filled with water. Let the eggplant sweat for 30 minutes or more.
- While the eggplant sweats, make the sauce.
- Cover the bottom of a sauce pan with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Add the sliced garlic and let it cook until is sizzles (do not brown the garlic). Add the canned whole tomatoes and their juice and salt. Stir and chop coarsely using a potato masher or two knives chopping crossways. Lower the heat and simmer until reduced by almost half.
- Remove the eggplant fro the colander and thoroughly pat dry each slice.
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Cover the bottom of a baking sheet or two with olive oil.
- Dredge the eggplant slices in flour, shaking off any excess. Place on the baking sheets and drizzle the each slice with olive oil. Bake until brown on one side (about 15 minutes or so) and tun over and brown the other side. Repeat until you have cooked all the eggplant.
- Using a 7x11 baking dish (I like ceramic or earthenware, but you can use stainless steel as well), spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom and layer the eggplant until it completely covers the bottom (it's like a puzzle!).
- Sprinkle generously with the grated parmigiano-reggiano. Add another layer of sauce and then the eggplant. Continue to build the layers until you are about two layers from the top, then add a single layer of sliced mozzarella. Finish with a couple more layers of eggplant, sauce, and parmesan. Finish the top with parmesan.
- Bake on the upper third of a 400 degree oven. Check it after it' been in the oven for 20 minutes. You may find that it throws off more liquid as it bakes. If so, press down on the eggplant and draw off any excess liquid. Cook for another 15 minutes or so. Let stand for a good 15 or 20 minutes before serving.
- Your Best Eggplant Recipe Contest Winner!
Tags: serves a crowd
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4 months ago Chris Moore
Correction: using almond flour for regular flour
4 months ago Chris Moore
I made this recipe, using regular flour for almond flour (only substitution)... it was the best eggplant parmesan I've had. So good.
4 months ago Aliwaks
Making this right now, albeit with inferior mozzerella, I'm excited have been searching for ways to make an eggplany parm without frying.
6 months ago martin collins
Inferior the warmth and boil until abridged by approximately half want term paper help.!!!!
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7 months ago sarahmina
This is the second time I have made this dish. Today, in the wake of Sandy, I made it for friends. And it was awesome. I'm super sensitive to salt and have not thought that this is oversalted, BUT, I think that this is because you need to really blot the eggplant after it has been in the colander, to remove excess water and salt. Also, you don't have to douse the slices in salt, just sprinkle each layer. If you're worried about the salt, leave your tomato sauce relatively salt-less, and rely on the cheese to provide what it needs. It's so good--exactly what some Brooklyn folks need as we're recovering.
7 months ago sarahmina
This is the second time I have made this dish. Today, in the wake of Sandy, I made it for friends. And it was awesome. I'm super sensitive to salt and have not thought that this is oversalted, BUT, I think that this is because you need to really blot the eggplant after it has been in the colander, to remove excess water and salt. Also, you don't have to douse the slices in salt, just sprinkle each layer. If you're worried about the salt, leave your tomato sauce relatively salt-less, and rely on the cheese to provide what it needs. It's so good--exactly what some Brooklyn folks need as we're recovering.
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7 months ago alohalife
Just an update, the inlaws already had dinner prepared so I stuck individual sized portions of this in a little foil "dish" and added the extra fresh toppings that had made it so good, fully not knowing if they would freeze well. Then stuck each serving in a quart size ziploc, and into the freezer. Yesterday for lunch I pulled out one of my foil dishes, stuck the whole thing into a glass pan and into the oven covered with foil at 350 for about an hour and 20. (foil off for the last 15) IT CAME OUT AWESOME!!!! Just as yum as the first time - so if you find yourself with leftovers - don't be afraid to freeze! Even the fresh mozzarella I had layered on top was perfect after cooking.
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8 months ago alohalife
OK, so I made this last night and was SOOOO disappointed. THe flavors just didn't meld at all, and the sauce was yuck - even tho the pieces tasted excellent individually.
But today, I decided to dress a piece up for lunch, because after all I did spend a bunch of time and money creating it for just myself. On top of my slice I sprinkled Italian seasoning, then 4 fresh chopped basil leaves from my garden. 3 more thin slices of mozzarella adorned the top of that, and then a liberal dusting of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, and a few shakes of crushed red pepper and 3 hunks of butter. I cooked it in a 400 degree oven until the cheese melted, and then broiled it (still on the middle rack) for 2-3 minutes till it looked done.
WOW - what a difference! I don't know if the night in the fridge, which always helps pasta, made all the difference or the extra cheese or if it was just missing the breading taste for me or what... but it was PHENOMENAL.
And now, I'm bringing it to the in-laws - a meal worthy of sharing. ;-)
8 months ago TaraT
Seriously the best eggplant parm ever! Except I make my own sauce: just tomatoes, garlic, an onion and herbs roasted and whizzed in the food pro. We've eaten it twice in the last two weeks!
9 months ago Plantman
Excellent results when made as written. Good Work!
9 months ago Kimerbly
This is the best eggplant parmesan ever! I didn't find it to be oversalty at all, in fact the seasoning was absolutely perfect. I tweaked it slightly by adding torn up fresh basil to the mozzarella layer, and finishing the top layer with more fresh mozzarella and basil. Delicious :)
9 months ago tylermmcdon
I made this last night. I noticed how many thought it was too salty, so I took it easy on the salt. Wonderful!
9 months ago jane.colton3
Too salty! I should have rinsed the eggplant off before assembling in the pan-