Eggplant is one of those things that most people seldom make. Well, maybe not most, but enough to make this dish worth considering. It’s not nearly as intimidating as it looks and the flavors and textures are amazing. Eggplant will absorb the flavors of almost anything you cook with it, so it becomes a very versatile ingredient. This dish was part of the “Secondi” course during our Italian Feast back in 1993. I included this for several reasons. One of our guests was not a huge consumer of meat, and I was able to make this a few days ahead of time, refrigerate it and pop it in the oven at the appropriate time during the evening of our dinner party. We started this meal around 6 or 6:30pm and it went until 2am the following morning. I usually find some link, for most of the dishes I post, to a memory or event that makes it special? The dinner we served that night was the first time I made Eggplant Parmesan. I think of that evening every time I make it. I remember the laughter, the warmth and love being shared around the table. It always makes this dish special to me.
As I’ve related in previous posts, this was a dinner inspired by wanting to show all our friends how we felt about them. It took several days to get ready and it was an amazing evening of toasts, good food, friendship, love and knowing we were with people we had chosen as “Family”. So this meal, this gathering, this evening of sharing was, as my Grandfather Francis used to say, “per la famiglia, cin, cin!”
This recipe is good for six people if you serve pasta on the side, four people if you make it the only dish and 8 or more if it is for a multi-course dinner.
Prep time: 30 minutes – Cook time: 40 to 50 minutes (longer if you prep and refrigerate before baking)
Ingredients
1 Generous pour of the Chef’s favorite red wine
2 – 3 (1 1/2lb) Eggplants, sliced 1/2″
3 – 5T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 3/4C Tomato sauce, use your favorite jarred sauce or a homemade marinara
20 Basil, whole leaves
1 1/2C Mozzarella, shredded
1C Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
1/4C Italian bread crumbs
Salt & Pepper to taste
Making The Magic
Wash the outside of your eggplants and slice them into 1/2″ thick slices. Sprinkle a little salt over each slice of the egg plant and layer them, in a colander, on top of each other. Once sliced, salted and layered, lay a large plate or something solid on top and weigh it all down. I use a large can of tomatoes for this. Leave the eggplant for about 20 to 30 minutes. The salt draws out some of the moisture and the bitterness you sometimes find in eggplant. Once they are sufficiently drained, lay them out and pat them dry.
Preheat your oven to 425° while the eggplant is sweating. Take another sip of your wine!
Line a shallow baking pan with foil and spray it lightly with Pam. When you’ve dried your eggplant, lay the slices out in the baking pan, in a single layer. It might take two pans. Brush the slices with olive oil. Notice how the oil is absorbed into the eggplant? You may need more olive oil, so don’t be stingy. You can always use more. When all of the eggplant has been brushed with olive oil, lightly dust the eggplant with Italian bread crumbs. Place the baking pan(s) in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.
While that’s baking, prepare the initial bed for the eggplant. Use an 8 x 12 (best) or 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread about 1/4 of your tomato sauce in the baking dish. Your first layer of eggplant will go directly on top of this. When the eggplant is finished, remove it from the oven and let it cool.
Reduce the oven temp to 400°.
Begin to layer the eggplant, basil, sauce and cheeses. Place the first layer of eggplant in the bed of tomato sauce.
Spread 1/4 of the tomato sauce over the eggplant in the baking dish.
Place half of the Basil leaves on top of the tomato sauce. Spread 1/2C of the Mozzarella and then 1/4C of the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Grind some fresh black pepper to taste over all of it.
Repeat this layering a second time.
Repeat again for a third time, finishing without the Basil leaves and using the final 1/2C of Parmigiano Reggiano to top it all off.
Bake the casserole for 20 to 25 minutes, uncovered, not letting the cheese get too dark. It will be bubbling on the sides and golden brown on the top when it’s finished.
Bring it out of the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Finish that first glass of wine while you’re waiting and then pour another.
Cut into squares and plate your beautiful Melanzane alla Parmigiana! Ummmm, you’re so gonna love this! Delizioso!
Variations To Keep It New
If you would like to add some meat to this dish, thinly slice some precooked Italian sausage and add it in the second layer. Add some red pepper flakes to the tomato sauce for a little heat.
Wines We Love With This
Merlot
Chianti
Beaujolais
Leftovers
Reheated in the microwave keeps it from drying out. In the oven at 350°, covered and you can always add a little tomato sauce to keep it moist.
Mangia, bevi, ama con gusto!
Question
Do you have a favorite jarred or canned sauce you like to use in recipes?
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