#37 - Eggplant Parmigiana

There are a million ways to make eggplant Parmigiana. We felt like having some, so we had to narrow down that list to one. We found a recipe in our Throwdown! book, and it since it beat out Bobby Flay's version, we thought it was worth a try.

Eggplant Parmigiana

From David Greco of Mike's Deli
This recipe calls for breading the eggplant, so besides the eggplant, cheese, and sauce, you're gonna need flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs.
Something interesting about how they batter the eggplant is that they put pecorino and parsley in the egg-wash. We're not sure about how much a little cheese and herbs affected the breading, but those are tasty ingredients, so they couldn't hurt.After dredging and frying the eggplant, you layer it with cheese and sauce (we used the extra tomato sauce that we didn't use in yesterday's Brasato al Barolo), and pop it in the oven. Then it's eating time.
This was a pretty tasty version of eggplant Parmigiana - how could it not be with fried eggplant, tomato sauce, and gooey mozzarella cheese. The problem was it was a little heavy, so we wouldn't want to have this version too often. The good news is that means we we might have another Parmigiana recipe by the end of the year.
Are you ready for a Throwdown?

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 1 heaping cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 2 Tbs parsley, minced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 2 eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 cups tomato sauce
• 1 lb mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of the Pecorino and the parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Coat each of the eggplant slices in flour, the egg wash, and the breadcrumbs, and set aside.
4. Heat the vegetable oil and the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until the oil begins to shimmer.
5. Fry the eggplant in batches for about three minutes a side until golden brown, and remove to paper towels.
6. Spread a little of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish.
7. Layer the eggplant, about one third of the remaining sauce, and about one third of the mozzarella and Pecorino cheeses.
8. Repeat until you have reached the top of the dish, and top off with a little more sauce, mozzarella, and Pecorino than the previous layers.
9. Bake until the top is lightly crisp, about 25 - 30 minutes.
10. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.