Eggplant Parmesan

This is my amazing Italian grandmother, MamaSara.

I don’t have many pictures of MamaSara from the good old days, but I do have this one picture.  She was a few years older in this picture than I am now, but it’s still crazy to me how much we look alike.

I have looked up to MamaSara all my life.  She is a living example of the Proverbs 31 woman!  She has raised 5 children and loved on 36 grandchildren and great-grandchildren (with 3 more due in January).  She has given her life to serving the Lord, my Papa, her church, and her family.  MamaSara was honored last weekend at her church in Greenville, Mississippi for faithfully playing the organ week after week after week for 67 years!  Her health has declined slightly over the last few years, but she is still full of grace and beauty, full of love, and full of energy!

So much of my cooking inspiration comes from MamaSara.  I have called her for years asking her how to cook different things, and she has always had the answers.  However, most of her answers are not accompanied by any measurements, she uses just “a little of this” and “a handful of that” in most of her cooking, which has taught me how to figure out how to get to the taste I desire.

My sweet MamaSara has always cooked amazing Italian feasts for our huge Italian/Lebanese family.  I LOVE Italian food and don’t think I could ever get too much of it!  I love spaghetti and the wonderful sauce (gravy), I love cheese, I love basil and garlic and oregano.  What’s not to love about Italian food?!?

My dad went to visit MamaSara and Papa last week and brought home the last of their homegrown eggplant.  He gave it to me to cook, and last night I made one of my most favorite meals for the whole family…Eggplant Parmesan.

This is a meal Brad and I have loved for years!  When we were dating we frequented Olive Garden, and we ordered this almost every time.  When we got married I decided I could cook it too!

I used MamaSara’s recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce, which I’ll post one day, but feel free to use a jar of your favorite sauce if you don’t want to make it.

Recipe for Eggplant Parmesan:

What you will need:

Eggplant, Bread Crumbs (Italian Style), Eggs, Flour, Parmesan Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Spaghetti Sauce, Basil, Oregano, Canola Oil, Salt, and Pepper  (I have no idea why my Olive Oil is in the picture.  My brain doesn’t work!)

Wash and slice the eggplant to about 1/3 inch thick.

Put the slices in a colander and sprinkle both sides with salt.  This allows the bitter juices to seep out, so try not to put them right on top of each other.  Allow room for the juices to flow.  Okay, they don’t flow out, but just leave them a little room.  Let them sit for 30-45 min.

Rinse the salt and juices from the eggplant.  Place on paper towels and pat dry.

I like to add a little more seasoning to the Italian breadcrumbs.  If you desire to be difficult like me, add dried basil, oregano, salt and pepper and mix well.

Get your eggplant ready to take a dunk.

Use bowls large enough to dip your eggplant slices, and place the bowls close together to cut down on the mess.

First coat both sides of the eggplant in flour.

Next, dredge in egg.

Allow the excess egg to drip from the eggplant or your breadcrumbs will become a clumpy mess.

Then cover both sides in breadcrumbs.

Lay each piece of eggplant in a single layer on a cookie sheet until you are ready to fry them.

Pour about 1/4 inch of Canola Oil in a large skillet…enough Canola Oil to cover the bottom of the pan and a little of the eggplant.  You don’t want the oil to cover the top of your eggplant.  Heat the oil over medium-high heat.  The oil is ready if you can sprinkle little drops of water on the oil and the water dances to the top.  That’s how I always test to see if it’s the right temperature…probably not too scientific or exact, but it works for me. :)

Place a few pieces of eggplant in the skillet and fry until lightly golden brown on one side.  It takes about 3-4 minutes per side

Flip and cook about 3 more minutes until lightly brown on both sides.

Place each piece of eggplant on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

Pour about a cup of spaghetti sauce in a large casserole dish.  Spread to cover the bottom.

Place a single layer of eggplant on top of the spaghetti sauce.

Now this is where you need to DO AS I SAY…NOT AS I DO.  I accidentally put the cheese on and then the spaghetti sauce.

You SHOULD put the eggplant in the casserole dish, THEN top each piece of eggplant with spaghetti sauce.  NEXT, you should place a piece of fresh mozzarella (I usually just use a regular block of mozzarella and grate it myself.  On this particular dish, I think the block of mozzarella is fine and I really don’t think it’s necessary to spend the extra money on fresh mozzarella like I did here…but whatever floats your boat.)

Then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of that.  Now when it comes to Parmesan, I think FRESH is always better!

See…I accidentally put the sauce on TOP of the cheese.  Don’t follow my lead.  Do it right so it will be pretty and perfect!

Then top with another layer of eggplant.  Figure out how many pieces of eggplant you have before you begin.  I like to have about 6-7 stacks of 2 pieces of eggplant, but occasionally I have a stack of 3.

Now I’ll show you the right way…sauce…

Then the final layer of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

YUM!  Cook it uncovered at 350° for about 20 minutes.  All the ingredients are cooked, so just heat it through and make sure the cheese is melted but not burned.

Oh, can it get any better?  Why yes, it can…serve it with spaghetti and more homemade sauce and homemade meatballs, topped with fresh Parmesan cheese!  YUH-UH-UM!

It’s stressing me out a little that there’s nothing green on the plate.  We always eat this salad with it, because it’s my “MamaSara salad”…my go-to salad for any Italian meal!

Recipe for Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Eggplant
• 1 Cup Italian Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 Cup Flour
• 2-3 Eggs
• Parmesan Cheese (fresh if possible, but not imperative)
• 8 oz Mozzarella Cheese (Fresh Moz is not necessary, but use it if you prefer)
• 1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce or about 3 Cups Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Basil
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• Canola Oil

Wash and cut the eggplant into 1/3 inch slices.  Place eggplant in a colander and sprinkle both sides with salt.  Allow it to sit in a colander for about 30-45 minutes to release bitter juices.  Rinse eggplant and pat dry with paper towels.

Whisk 2-3 eggs and place in a bowl large enough to dip eggplant.  Place flour in a separate bowl.  Place breadcrumbs in a third bowl.  Add oregano, basil, and salt to to breadcrumbs and stir to combine.

Dip one slice at a time in the flour, coating both sides well.  Next dredge in eggs, then breadcrumbs.  Making sure to coat eggplant well with each different ingredient.

Heat about 1/8-1/4 inch Canola Oil in the bottom of a large skillet.  You want enough canola oil to cover the bottom of the skillet and about half the sides of the eggplant slices.  Heat oil over medium-high heat.  The oil is hot enough if you can sprinkle little drops of water on the oil and the water dances to the top.  Fry each slice of eggplant for about 3 minutes per side until both sides are lightly golden brown.

Place eggplant on a layer of paper towels to remove excess oil.  Place 1 Cup spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish (9X13 usually works well).  Place a layer of eggplant slices, then top each slice with spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese.  Place another piece of eggplant on top and repeat the spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Place eggplant in the oven at 350° for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and eggplant is heated through.

Serve with some yummy spaghetti and meatballs and maybe even this salad!

Enjoy cooking!  Enjoy EATING!  :)

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