Grandma Dearie’s Eggplant Parmigiana (Always read a recipe through at least once before attempting):

1 good-sized, firm, pretty purple eggplant
3-4 large eggs
milk, splash/dash/less than a 1/4 cup
Italian flavored breadcrumbs at least one cup
flour, all-purpose, at least one cup
olive oil
Marinara Sauce (see recipe from first post)
1 lb. shredded mozzarella, or buy a fresh mozz and slice thin or tear it with your fingers
grated Parmigiana or Romano cheese
1 glass of red table wine or Chianti
Oven proof glass or metal baking pan (I prefer glass, 13×9 or smaller, which yields taller stacks) wiped with olive oil to prevent sticking

Oven preheated to 375 degrees, rack centered

NOTE: As always, measurements are suggested, and can be adjusted according to taste, diet, or availability of ingredients in your pantry

Helpful prep hints included:

1. Grandma taught me that to make the layered stacks of cheesy, saucy goodness taste more meaty, one should cut the eggplant in this way:
Slice or chop off the stem and discard. Lay the eggplant down flat and cut through the middle. Peel each half with a sharp paring knife. Stand each end on the cut side. Slice in 1/4 inch slices so your slices are long and not round. This will taste more meaty and less seedy. Trust Grandma. She knew. She’s watching.

2. Once your eggplant is sliced, soak the slices in a large bowl of salted (1T) cold water as you prep for frying and assembling. Drain once you are ready to coat and assemble your dish. To drain, Press a plate down on the eggplant — do this in the sink so the water can freely overflow. Drain the remainder of the water.  You will be surprised at how black the water has become! Note that this is bad for you, but for some reason, the eggplant coats and cooks better if you take the time to do this. Remember, Grandma said!

3. Make, heat or reheat your Marinara sauce (or used jarred, but first make the sign of the cross and apologize to Grandma)

4. Line a large plate or platter with paper towels for draining your eggplant after it cooks in the oil

5. Mound your breadcrumbs on a generous piece of wax paper* (you can lift and toss with the edges of the paper to evenly coat the eggplant slices)

6. Beat your eggs with milk in a glass pie plate (use a fork, completely blend the egg yolks and whites) – salt and pepper to taste

7.  Beat 3-4 eggs with a splash of milk (Grandma eyeballed everything — she NEVER measured unless she was baking, but even then, it was a pinch, a handful, a dash, etc. A coffee cup might easily serve as the measuring cup if that was the nearest cup she saw.

8. When adding olive oil to your frying pan, you only need about 1/4 inch of oil for your eggplant. We are not deep-frying here, but frying on a medium-high heat until eggplant slices are golden brown and nearly cooked through.

9. Have the oil heated in the pan, ready for the eggplant slices to “surprise” it, but not to smoke the oil or brown too dark. Keep your OLIVE oil handy, in case you need to add more (and you will)

10. *My mom and I always say, “FEC,” so we remember to first dust the eggplant slices in Flour, next dip in the Egg mixture, then lastly coat with the flavored bread-Crumbs. 😉 I sometimes mix equal parts flour and breadcrumb and simply go from this mixture  to the eggs and back again.
This step can be totally eliminated, and the slices can be sautéed “naked” if you are trying to cut the carbs. Simply cook in the oil until they are lightly browned and start to soften. You can even saute fresh basil leaves and layer them into the pan when you assemble the dish. Smell the eggplant as it cooks in the oil. I can smell it now, as I write! 

So go ahead; coat your first batch of eggplant slices — FEC — and gently add to the frying pan. In my finished photo, you will see I’ve added a layer of chicken cutlets: pound thin, then follow the FEC method, cooking until golden brown and nearly cooked through (see cutlets in photo below).

 

Okay, so work quickly and efficiently, watching your heat, adding oil to the pan as needed, and letting the fried slices drain on the paper towel-lined plate. As your eggplant is cooking, you can continue the process of FEC, leaving the coated slices on the edge of the wax paper, ready to fry.

As your slices are browned on both sides and beginning to soften, remove them to drain on the paper towels. Keep adding paper towels and simply stack on the plate until all the eggplant is fried and drained.

This is the fun part. Add a generous ladle of marinara sauce to your oiled baking pan. No, this is the fun part. Add a layer of eggplant, fitting them side-by-side — juxtaposed 🙂 — in the pan. Work like a bricklayer, trying to fill the gaps by fitting the larger slices and then adding the smaller around them. Use a spoon the thinly top the slices with more sauce — don’t flood the pan with sauce! Okay, so this is fun, too! Top the slices with shredded or sliced mozzarella, sprinkle with grated Parmigiana or Romano cheese. Top with another layer of eggplant. Continue until all the eggplant is layered in the pan, ending with your sauce and then cheeses. You may sprinkle the top with dried oregano, if desired. Grandma cooked pretty plainly, considering it was fabulous Italian food!

Bake in 375 oven for at least a half hour, or until hot and bubbly, and the cheeses appear to be melted.

This dish is best served after “resting” or cooling on the counter. You can either serve it warm rather than hot, or reheat, but this way you can slice into the stacks or lift an entire stack easily with a spatula and serve a complete stack per person. This resting process keeps the stacks from mud-sliding on the plates, and works for lasagna as well.

Toast the dish with your filled wine glass. Whisper, “Sante!” Drink the wine.

(Note: As a highly satisfied member of Nakedwine.com, I recommend Stefano di Blasi Chianti Classico 2013)

Mangia! Serve and Enjoy!