Three Cheese Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant is an incredibly versatile food. It works in everything from Asian dishes to Italian, and makes a great meat substitute. It’s a love it or hate it vegetable; or, more appropriately, fruit, as it is in the same family as tomatoes. I happen to adore it and pay homage to that purple globe. It stands alone in flavor. An ages old wives tale claims that eggplants can be male or female, the male having fewer seeds, therefore, being less bitter in taste. The easiest way to tell is to look at the bottom of the eggplant. If the indentation at the bottom is very round, it’s a male and is less seedy. If the indentation is elongated, it is female, therefore seedier and bitter. This may, or may not, be an accurate means for determining seed content. The best choice, overall, is smaller, immature eggplant. There is also speculation that salting the eggplant before cooking eliminates some of the bitterness; but I don’t buy that……a bitter eggplant is over-ripe and will remain a bitter eggplant, no matter what you do to it. However, salting the eggplant removes the excess water, improving the texture of the eggplant. The end result, especially in dishes like Eggplant Parmesan, where it is fried then baked in a sauce, warrant the extra effort of salting. 

Sauce Ingredients

Chop onions. Mince garlic. Chop fresh basil.

Prepare sauce: In large saucepan, add olive oil and chopped onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions soften. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. In blender, purée both cans of tomatoes. Pour this mixture into saucepan. Add basil, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, Herbs de Provence, salt, pepper, sugar (optional), grated Parmesan and bay leaves. I usually add a jar of Vodka sauce, as I find it cuts down on the acidity of the tomatoes (I’m prone to heartburn). However, if you prefer a more marinara type sauce, don’t add the jar of sauce. Reduce heat to low, and let simmer while you prepare the eggplant.

Peel eggplant, if desired. This is a personal preference. You can peel it all off, leave some on, or leave it all on…..your choice. Cut eggplant into 1/2" slices. I use a meat slicer for this to get more even slices; but that’s optional as well. Lay slices on a cutting board. Lightly salt each side of all slices. Some say you can salt it generously, as you will be rinsing the salt off. Not so. Eggplant is like a sponge and will soak up the salt. So, salt it with the same amount of salt you would use to season it (or slightly more); but not abundantly. Place salted eggplant slices in a colander and let rest (at room temperature) for 1-1/2 hours. Why 1-1/2 hours? Over the years, I have tested every time interval from 30 minutes to 1-1/2 hours and found that 1-1/2 hours gives the best results for Eggplant Parmesan.

After 1-1/2 hours, thoroughly rinse salt off of eggplant slices and blot dry with paper towels.

Breading Ingredients

Prepare a breading station. Put flour in first breading dish. In second breading dish (or bowl), whisk together eggs and milk. Put seasoned breadcrumbs in third breading dish.

Dip each eggplant slice in flour (shaking off excess flour); then dip in egg mixture; then coat in seasoned breadcrumbs (pressing down to thoroughly coat). Transfer breaded slices to a large platter. Repeat process until all slices are coated.

Pour about 3/4" of Canola oil in large, deep skillet (using enough oil to fully submerge eggplant slices). Heat oil to 350° F. (A candy thermometer works fine for this.) Fry eggplant slices (6 to 8 at a time, without overcrowding), 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter. Adjust heat on stovetop, as necessary, to try to maintain a steady temperature of 350° F. Continue frying rest of eggplant slices, layering on paper towels, until all are fried.

Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Grate fontina cheese. Thinly slice mozzarella.

Three Cheeses

Coat bottom of a 10x15x2-inch baking dish with a generous amount of sauce (enough to fully coat bottom pan). Using the larger eggplant slices first, line the baking dish with eggplant. Top each eggplant slice with about a Tablespoon of sauce. Then sprinkle on a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese. Top eggplant slices with grated Fontina cheese, about 1/2 of the batch. Then top with 1/3 of the mozzarella slices. (If you don’t think you have enough mozzarella slices for 3 layers you can omit mozzarella on first layer; it is more important to have enough mozzarella slices left to cover the final layer. Continue layering with eggplant slices, sauce, grated Parmesan, fontina and mozzarella. You should have 3 layers in total, reserving the smaller eggplant slices for the upper layers (for better balance). Top final layer with sauce, grated Parmesan and mozzarella slices only (no fontina on top layer). You will probably have some leftover sauce. Put aside to serve with eggplant.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with additional sauce.

THREE CHEESE EGGPLANT PARMESAN
Posted by:  www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large can (28-ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (14 ounces) fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil leaves, chopped (about 5-6 leaves)     
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar, optional
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for layering eggplant
• 2 small  bay leaves
• 1 jar (24 ounces) Bertolli Vodka Sauce (optional)
• 2 medium-sized eggplants, cut in 1/2” slices
• Salt
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 6 eggs (you may only need 5)
• 6 Tablespoons milk (if using 5 eggs, reduce milk to 5 Tablespoons)
• 2 cups seasoned (Italian-style) breadcrumbs, approximate amount - may need more
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
• 1/2 pound fontina cheese, grated

             
DIRECTIONS:

1.   Prepare sauce. In large saucepan, add olive oil and chopped onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring
      occasionally, until onions soften. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute. In blender,
      puree both cans of tomatoes. Pour this mixture into saucepan. Add basil, crushed red pepper,
      oregano, Herbs de Provence, salt, pepper, sugar (optional), 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and bay leaves.
      Add jar of vodka sauce (optional). Reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer while you prepare
      eggplant.
2.   Peel eggplant. Cut eggplant into 1/2" slices. Lay slices out on a cutting board and salt lightly (both
      sides). Place salted eggplant slices in a colander and let rest (at room temperature) for 1-1/2 hour.
3.   Thoroughly rinse salt off of eggplant slices and blot dry with paper towels.
4.   Meanwhile, prepare a breading station. Put flour in first breading dish.
5.   In second breading dish (or bowl), whisk together eggs and milk. Put seasoned breadcrumbs in third
      breading dish.
6.   Dip each slice in flour (shake off excess flour); then dip in eggs; then coat in seasoned breadcrumbs.

      Place on a large platter and repeat this procedure until all slices are coated.
7.   Pour about 3/4" of Canola oil in large, deep skillet (use enough oil to cover the eggplant slices). Heat
      oil to 350° F. (A candy thermometer works fine for this.) Fry eggplant slices (6 to 8 at a time), 1 to 2
      minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter. Adjust heat on
      stove top, as necessary, to try to maintain a steady temperature of 350° F. Continue frying rest of
      eggplant slices, layering on paper towels, until all are fried.
8.   Preheat oven to 350° F.
9.   Coat bottom of a 10x15x2-in. baking dish with generous amount of sauce (enough to fully coat
      bottom of pan).  Using the larger eggplant slices, line the baking dish with eggplant. Top each
      eggplant with about a tablespoon of sauce. Then sprinkle on a generous amount of grated Parmesan
      cheese. Top eggplant slices with grated fontina cheese, about 1/2 of the batch. Then top with 1/3 of
      the mozzarella slices. (If you don't think you have enough mozzarella slices for 3 layers, you can omit
      mozzarella on first layer; it is more important to have enough slices to cover the final layer.) Continue
      layering with eggplant slices, sauce, grated Parmesan, fontina and mozzarella. You should have about
      3 layers in total, reserving the smaller eggplant slices for the upper layers (for better balance). Top
      final layer with sauce, grated Parmesan and mozzarella slices only (no fontina on top layer). You will
      probably have some leftover sauce, put aside to serve with eggplant.
10. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with
      additional reserved sauce.