Eggplant Parmesan, aka Aubergine Parmesan

They say eggs don't grow on trees here. They think 'eggplant' is the silliest of words. But an aubergine? Isn't that a French word?

Did you know eggplants were once white and round-ish? Ahem, hence the name.
Aubergine coloured eggplants came later.
And that's only one varietal! There are loads of kinds of eggplants in the world.

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I received a lovely note from a reader recently. While my absence here at eggbeater hasn't produced many comments, many of you have 'written to me on the side,' and, when I haven't been working, I've responded.

But these personal email exchanges don't include you, now do they?

As you know, I have a thing for eggplant parmesan. But, I have never said much else about it. I have never 'given you the recipe,' so to speak.

But, as you may have gathered, I'm not much into recipes these days. I have given you my best, my favorite, my tried & true. I give them when I get them just right, after making 'em a dozen or so times. And now that I am baking in another country, with completely different ingredients, I'm re-navigating my own recipes and learning new ones, so recipes, as a thing, as a concept, as a reality, have shifted and morphed into something else.

While I am in Recipe Limbo, as it were, I am on-leave as a Recipe Giver.

But I do have a method, with some ever-so-time-consuming hints, for the Best Ever Eggplant Parmesan, in my opinion, of course.

From Linda:
"I found your wonderful blog today through a friend who is helping with my search for the perfect yellow cake and chocolate icing...
she made yours and says this is it....but I have been sitting here reading and enjoying your recipes for several hours and it is now 1:00am and I must go to sleep...but you have made me hungry for eggplant parmesan...
Is there any chance of getting your recipe?

If you have the time it would be lovely."

From me:

I would not say i have a 'recipe' for eggplant parmesan, I just make it. Here are some of my time consuming tricks -

make your own sauce. mine is usually: sweated onions & garlic in olive oil. canned Marzano tomatoes, broken up, tomato paste, salt and freshy ground black pepper. to taste. additions might include sauteed red peppers, oregano, marjoram, basil... depends what i have. all fresh herbs, not dried. (did you know that store bought dried herbs {in USA} are irradiated UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE?)

My sauce could take at least 3 hours, maybe more, so start early. sauce should be thick because you don't want any excess oil/water in eggplant parmesan.

make your own breadcrumbs. stale/toast bread and run it through a food processor. mix in fresh chopped parsley, kosher/sea salt.
cut eggplant in @ 1" rounds. salt on both sides with kosher/sea salt @ 20 minutes before frying. remember that you can not fry all your eggplant at once.

make 3 plates for frying. 1. eggplant. 2. eggs, beaten. 3. bread crumbs.

fry in olive oil-- a good amount, but eggplant should not be swimming!

get your pan nice and hot (cast iron skillet is best) then add the oil. immediately lay in your rounds.

treat eggplant like pancakes = try and get all your color on one side before turning over. get it nice and dark! just this side of burnt.* *but you do not want the color to come on too fast. it's tricky-- you want everything to be hot but remember that the eggplant is thick and it takes time for it to get cooked through & through.

you may need to add more oil when you flip. again, do not have these pieces swimming in oil.

set fried pieces aside. on plate lined with towel.

when I assemble, I treat it like lasagna but with the eggplant as noodle. I don't usually use ricotta but sometimes i might. my cheeses are parmesan, grated fine & mozzarella, grated or chopped.

layers might look like: sauce, eggplant, parmesan, mozzarella, repeat.
On top I like to have a scant layer of sauce and then a good layer of mozzarella/parmesan so when it bakes this gets crusty.

this is my recipe.
now you've made me hungry for it. not sure i want to spend my day off making it, but hopefully soon I will...

Comments

[Hazel]

Best name: melanzane parmigiana. Things just sound better in Italian. (Though I probably spelt it wrong).

Did the lady find her 'yellow cake with chocolate icing'? The world is very small. I bet that that request is connected to Deb's post today about...yellow cake with chocolate icing. Which I had already bookmarked for next time I need a cake recipe. I feel a little like spy tracking my way through people's blogs and finding the connections. It's great fun. :-).

And I love eggplant parmesan. And *I* want it now, too. But my fridge at home has courgette curry and felafel in it, and my freezer has chicken stew and the wherewithal for pork stew in it. BUT I have an aubergine plant, so later in the summer, *IF* I get any fruit, this will be how I celebrate. Thank you!

P.S. AND it's not lunchtime for a whole nother hour. *sigh*

[Victoria]

Yum

[Linda]

Thank you so much Shuna! The Aubergine and I have a hot date tonight!

[Diane]

Last year I saw those white "egg" eggplants at the Oakland Farmer's Market. Wild! There are so many different kinds of eggplants - including the little bitter "pea" eggplants that look like a bunch of grapes, green globe Thai eggplants, long skinny Asian eggplants in many varieties and colors, small purple Indian "brinjals," great globe eggplants, etc etc.

This looks great - thanks!

[Michael Natkin]

Sounds like we do it in a very similar way. I really like the eggplant fried with breadcrumbs like you do, not naked. I do a much quicker tomato sauce though, but to each their own! If anyone wants a more formally written out recipe, here's my version.

[Anna Banana]

You don't dredge eggplant in flour before dipping in egg? Otherwise your 'recipe' is the same as mine and I must make it tonight.

[kayenne]

well... there really isn't much of a recipe for cooking really... even friends who ask me for a recipe for some stew or pasta sauce... it's always vague and sometimes, they are not too happy with that. i tell them, i never measure... it depends on what you have... hehe at the bottom of such recipes i always remind them that the amounts are approximate and depends a lot of personal taste.

I love eggplant!

[kayenne]

Another favorite is Moussaka! altho i usually make them with beef or even pork, since lamb is not very common here.

[Melvis]

OOOh, I have had eggplant cooked by YOU at your casa, and it has been hands down the most uncutous, perfect thing ever...I can't even fathom a sauce to go over it........
magic. pure magic.
I'll be over soon. :-)

[Daniela Restrepo]

Eggplant Parmesan is such an American dish that it even sounds American, how well is it received in London?