Here is a fantastic spin on eggplant parm that, in my humble opinion, brings this dish to a whole new level of delicious. It has several steps, so just follow along and you should be able to put this together with little trouble.
As many of you know, I tend not to do things in the traditional style because, well, to be quite honest, what fun is that? If you can read about a recipe in 200 different cookbooks, then why read my blog? So, I like putting a spin to a dish that makes it interesting, something you may not have tried or thought to try and overall presents a new flavor and texture to a familiar (or sometimes not familiar) dish. If I don't like the way something comes out, I don't post it, so the posts you see here are tried and true (and tasty!) recipes.
A word of warning on this particular recipe: IT IS NOT LOW FAT! That's right, ladies and gentlemen, this dish is true Italian goodness and it is pretty uncensored. So hold on to your WW point calculators and come with me on a journey of ooey-gooey culinary creation!
Time: 30-40 minutes Prep/Fry Eggplant, 45 minutes Baking
Servings: 4 (large portions)
INGREDIENTS:
1 - Medium - Large Eggplant
1 lb. Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
1 lb. Part-Skim Mozzarella (a block or shredded, up to you)
1 1/4 C. Romano, Parmesan or Asiago Cheese, grated (your choice)
3 Jars Marinara Sauce (26 oz. each) or 9 1/2 cups of your homemade sauce
1/2 - 1 lb. Pasta (your choice, I used Linguini)
3 C. Breadcrumbs
3 Large - Extra Large Eggs
1 oz. Water
Olive or Vegetable Oil (enough to fill large pan with 1/4" of oil (approx. 4 cups)
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp. Onion Powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. Oregano
2 tsp. Basil
1 tsp. Dried Parsley
2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
TOOLS:
Large Bowl (to soak all cut eggplant)
Large Frying Pan (12" pan - the deeper the better)
9 x 9 Baking Dish (Pyrex)
Large Bowl (to mix Ricotta cheese mixture)
Wisk (to mix Ricotta cheese mixture)
Tongs (to flip eggplant)
Medium - Large Pot (to cook pasta)
2 Shallow Bowls (for eggwash and breadcrumbs to bread eggplant)
Large Cutting Board
Large Chef's Knife
Baking Spatula (to spread Ricotta cheese in between eggplant layers)
Ladle
Large Pot - (to heat/cook Marinara sauce)
Peeler
DIRECTIONS:
First, take your eggplant and use the peeler to take off all the purple skin. Once all skin is removed, cut off the top of the eggplant (the stem area). Next, square off the eggplant by cutting down the eggplant so the top and bottom are about the same and the eggplant looks like a large rectangular cube (you may either discard the pieces you cut off or slice them thinly and use them for additional layers or fry with the others for a snack). Next, using your chef's knife, carefully slice the eggplant from top to bottom, proceeding slowly. Each slice should be thin (about 1/16" thick, or about double the thickness of the top of your large chef's knife, nearest the handle (the image above is a knife - the part circled, #6, is the spine of the knife). When finished, you should have lots of long, rectangular slices of eggplant. Next, slice each piece of eggplant longways down the middle to double the number of eggplant slices you have.
Once you have done the slicing, it is time to soak your eggplant.
**Note: My greatgrandmother and grandmother (from Sicily) used to soak eggplant in milk. Eggplant is naturally bitter, especially the seeds. By soaking the eggplant, the bitterness is drawn out of the eggplant and into the milk, which is then discarded. Nowadays, with milk costing anywhere from $2 - $4 per gallon, it is a little expensive to use milk for this purpose. A simple solution of salt and water (known as a brining solution) will accomplish the same goal.**
*Interesting Fact: Did you know that putting salt on a bite or sting will draw out the poison? For instance, if you get stung by a bee or bitten by a mosquito, simply make a hypersolution of salt and water (the two together should make a gritty paste) and pack it on the bite. It will sting, but it will draw out the poison (must be done immediately after the bite/sting occurs to be effective. Powdered meat tenderizer is also very effective.*
Take a large bowl and fill 3/4 full with cool water and add 3 Tbsp. salt. Place all eggplant in the bowl. At this point, you are noticing that half the eggplant is not covered in water, right? Eggplant loves to float, so you need to be creative to get the eggplant covered in water. Make sure the bowl is filled to within 1/2" of the top and then place a frying pan on top of the bowl. The frying pan will hold the eggplant down enough to get it covered in water. Allow the eggplant to soak for about 30 minutes.
While the eggplant is soaking, let's prep the remaining parts of the dish.
Ricotta Cheese Mixture: Take a large mixing bowl and place the 1 lb. of ricotta cheese in it. Add 1 cup of grated asiago or romano or parmesan cheese (your choice, I used Asiago because I had fresh in the house), 1/4 lb. of mozzarella (shredded), 1 Tbsp. onion powder, 1 Tbsp. garlic powder, 1/2 Tbsp. oregano, 1 tsp. dried parsley, 1 tsp. black pepper. Mix all ingredients with a wisk briskly for 30 seconds until well mixed. Taste mixture - if you want to add anything to increase a specific flavor, by all means. When done, cover and set aside.
Next, get the two shallow bowls and put them next to each other. In the first bowl, add 3 eggs and beat until mixed. Add 1 oz. of water and continue to mix for 15 seconds. In second bowl, add breadcrumbs, and remaining spices listed above as well the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese (asiago, romano or parmesan). Mix with fork until all ingredients are evenly mixed.
Put sauce into pot and heat on medium low heat. Stir occasionally. Once hot, turn heat to low.
Once eggplant has soaked for a minimum of 30 minutes, drain all water from bowl. Bread eggplant by first dipping eggplant slice in egg wash, then placing in breadcrumbs. Once fully coated, place on dry plate. Repeat until all eggplant is breaded.
At this point, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Next, heat frying pan with oil on medium high heat until oil begins to shimmer in pan. Place eggplant in pan to fry (enough pieces to cover pan but with room in between). Eggplant should be lightly browned on each side. Flip eggplant ever minute and watch carefully - if oil begins to boil violently or eggplant begins to burn, turn down heat.
^Tip^ Since the eggplant slices are very thin, they will cook very quickly. Make sure not to walk away from the pan and flip them every minute for the first two flips, then every 30 seconds to avoid burning. Once the eggplant is crunchy but lighter than a brown paper bag, take it out and place on a plate with paper towel so it can drain.^
Repeat until all eggplant is fried.
Next, take ladle and spoon enough sauce into the 9 x 9 baking dish so the bottom is lightly coated (ladle in one scoop and then shake the dish to spread it around). Layer the eggplant strips into the dish so all the eggplant is touching and you cannot see the bottom of the dish (only one eggplant deep per layer). After the first layer is done, use the baking spatula to spread a 1/8" thick layer of the ricotta cheese mixture over the eggplant. Take your time and spread it around so everything is covered. Then, pour 1/2 ladle full of sauce over ricotta cheese and use back of ladle to spread around. Place next layer of eggplant and repeat steps 2 more times so there are 3 layers of eggplant. After the last layer of eggplant is placed, do not put a layer or ricotta. Instead, simply cover with sauce. Next, slice the remaining mozzarella cheese (or shred) and place over top eggplant so the entire top is covered. Be careful to leave a slight lip between the top of the mozzarella and the top of the dish so it does not overflow in the oven. Next, place tinfoil over top of the dish, making sure to tent it so it does not touch the mozzarella. Your oven rack should be in the middle slot to cook this dish.
^Tip^ To tent, simply take more foil than is needed to cover the dish. Lightly crease the foil in the middle to create a tent shape, then cover the dish and tuck the sides under the handle lips of the baking dish. this will allow the dish to bake covered but not allow the mozzarella to stick to the foil as it melts.^
Place in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, increase temperature in oven to 425 degrees and remove cover from eggplant. Cook another 10-15 minutes.
^Tip^ I recommend placing a tinfoil-lined baking sheet on the rack below your eggplant (or the bottom of the oven). This will catch any drips that may occur from the eggplant cooking and will save you clean-up time and possible burning/smoking of your oven, which is always annoying when the smoke alarms go off.^
Once you put your eggplant in the oven, start boiling water for your pasta. Approximately 10 minutes before the eggplant is done, drop your pasta into the water. This will allow the pasta to cook and the two should be ready at the same time for service.
When done, take the eggplant out of the oven, allow to cool for a minute or two, then use a spatula or spoon to serve.
Nicole and I absolutely loved this dish last night and I had it again for lunch today. Give it a shot and let me know what you think. It is very gooky, so be prepared - the flavor is phenomenal and the eggplant has such a nice flavor that you will cherish this recipe. I think if my grandma and great grandma were around, they would love this dish, too!
As they say in the old country, mangia!
Buona Fortuna and as always...
Yours in cooking,
Chris
