Some people remember events in their past by associating them with locations, emotions, people, even what they wore, for me it’s what I ate. I remember menus like other (normal) people remember famous landmarks. Here’s an example: I can describe at length how awe inspiring it was to stand in the Sistine Chapel gazing at the ceiling I had seen in so many photographs and only dreamed of viewing in person – I can also tell you what I ate for lunch that afternoon.
When I went to Rhodes College in Memphis and celebrated my 18th birthday it was my first birthday spent without family. I mentioned to friends that my mom would have made birthday spaghetti, and they decided to take me to an old family Italian restaurant called Grisanti’s. The new grown-up me was ready to try a more sophisticated dish and I picked Eggplant Parmesan. In retrospect that choice may have been partly motivated by sticker shock, even though dinner was a treat, the price difference between Veal Parmesan and Eggplant Parmesan was practically equal to a tank of gas! No matter, the point is – it was love at first bite. Crispy crunchy eggplant with a soft middle, spicy tomato sauce and luscious melted cheese; really what’s not to like. It was perfection!
I’m sad to report that not every Eggplant Parmesan I’ve ordered since has been so perfect; sometimes it’s sort of greasy, or the cheese is slimy or even the worst, the tomato sauce tastes like a can. Luckily, eggplant loves growing here, presenting the opportunity to experiment with a variety of recipes. This year our garden sports several types of eggplant including a beautiful white one. I’ve been on a mission to make yummy crispy, cheesy Eggplant Parmesan with a luscious sauce that doesn’t require using every pan in my kitchen. The answer was obvious – bake the eggplant instead of frying it and make a tomato sauce that tastes exactly right. I did that last night and created absolutely the best Eggplant Parmesan ever, plus my kitchen is not coated with grease splatters, I have extra tomato sauce in the fridge that would be perfect for a scrumptious pizza later this week and considering how much grease an eggplant can absorb, I probably saved a few million calories. Calories, leftovers and grease aside, this fits the bill for Eggplant Parmesan perfection, I hope you make this soon and love it as much as I do.
Ingredients for Tomato sauce * You can use a sauce in a jar if you have one you really like, but this one is very easy and delicious.
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
28 oz can tomatoes, it doesn’t matter if they are whole, diced, or crushed, just make sure they don’t have added seasoning like basil and garlic – you are the boss of that!
1 bay leaf
¼ cup red wine
5 or 6 basil torn leaves or ½ tsp dried basil
For Eggplant
1 large or 2 small eggplants
2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
For Assembly
Sliced mozzarella cheese, about 4 oz
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Melt butter with olive oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat.
Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook until softened, about five minutes.
Add red pepper flakes, sugar, and salt and cook another minute. (add dried basil now if you are using it instead of fresh)
Stir in undrained tomatoes, add bay leaf and wine.
Let sauce simmer about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes off the stovetop.
While the sauce is simmering, slice eggplant length-wise into ½ inch slices.
Pour olive oil on to a baking sheet and tilt to spread evenly.
Put the baking sheet in the oven for five minutes to heat surface.
Dip eggplant in beaten egg and coat with panko.
Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Flip eggplant slices and bake 10 more minutes on the other side.
While eggplant bakes, pour slightly cooled tomato sauce in a blender and pulse a few times. The consistency is up to you; I like it a bit chunky.
Return to sauce pan and add fresh basil if you are using it.
Keep warm until ready to use.
Assembly
Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees.
Use a baking dish large enough to make two layers of eggplant- mine was 8 x 8.
Pour in a thin layer of tomato sauce, top with eggplant and top eggplant with half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan cheeses.
Repeat with another layer of sauce, eggplant and cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes until sauce is bubbly and cheese starts to brown.
(Try not to burn your mouth on the first bite, it’s that good!)
