Eggplant Parmigiana
I have been struggling to get this blog post out for the last two weeks, but life has been rather busy lately and I simply could not make blogging a priority for a while. One month ago, my father-in-law had major surgery and our days since then have been filled with being there for Peter's parents in whatever capacity necessary. As my father-in-law's recovery improves each day, our routines are slowly sliding back into place and I am now able to re-focus on my blog. It always feels wonderful to be back here writing and sharing.
As lovely as it is to be back in this space writing, it is also tough to get back into a writing routine. In almost four years of blogging, I still struggle constantly with posting regularly all because I over-think my writing. I let my internal Editor take over instead of just writing first and editing later. Old habits die hard. Or in my case, they do not die at all.
Earlier this week, I read a Twitter conversation between my food blogging friends, Theresa and Russell about how it is sometimes hard to find the words for a blog post. Theresa humorously suggested that she has wanted to write many a blog post telling her readers, This is delicious. You should eat it. The end. I was all Amen, Sister! about it because many times, that is all I really want to say about a dish I make. Like this Eggplant Parmigiana, for example.
I do have a few more things to say about Melanzane alla Parmigiana, though. I did not grow up eating it often. Since it is a Sicilian specialty, this dish was not a regular feature at our dinner table. My family is from Central and Northern Italy and we cooked the dishes of those regions the most often. Not that I ever felt deprived--we ate eggplant often, just prepared in other delicious variations.
This year, I finally improved my Eggplant Parmigiana-making skills, so I am especially excited to share this recipe and technique with you. As with all Italian recipes, making a successful dish of Eggplant Parmigiana is all about balance and using quality ingredients. I turned to my trusted copy of Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan--the cookbook that has been like having my own personal Italian culinary teacher right next to me in the kitchen every time I try an Italian recipe I have never made before.
Some recipes you may come across for Eggplant Parmigiana will have you dredge the slices of eggplant in flour, egg and breadcrumbs before frying them, but Marcella's recipe has you coat the eggplant rounds only in flour before frying them up. They do not come out crispy like their breaded counterparts, but that is not a bad thing. Cooking the eggplant Marcella's way results in a lighter finished dish and makes the creamy, supple texture of the eggplant stand out in every bite.
This Eggplant Parmigiana is delicious. You should make it and eat it. The end and Amen.
{Thanks Theresa and Russell!}
I'm off to Connecticut today to visit my mom for a few days of rest, relaxation, apple picking, hay riding, Fall color gawking, shopping, cooking, baking and eating. My sister and nephew will also be there! I am excited to teach my mom and sister how to make pie crust from scratch and bake a pie or two together. I will be back here with more posts when I return. {But I will still be tweeting and Instagramming while I am away. I cannot unplug completely!} Also, any comments submitted on this post will be published once I return, since I will be unplugging from email while I am away. I do not want you to think I am ignoring you. Thanks for understanding!
Buon appetito!
Love,
Flavia
Eggplant Parmigiana
Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella HazanThere is debate on whether to salt eggplant slices before cooking them off. I recently read an article in Fine Cooking that said salting eggplant does not remove any bitterness as many believe it does. All you are doing when salting eggplant rounds is removing excess water, so it is a step you can skip if you are inclined to do so.
A few words about eggplant: Choose ones that feel heavy for their size and are free of brown spots, dings and dents. The skin of the eggplant is edible, but can be tough on the larger varieties, so I prefer to peel away the skin in alternating wide strips so that the little bit of skin that is left on the slices becomes tender with cooking and provides a lovely contrast against the white flesh and red tomato sauce. If you find baby eggplant, you can skip peeling the skin altogether since it is tender and will be easy to eat once cooked.
2 large eggplant
2-3 Tablespoons Kosher salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 -3 cups vegetable oil
4 cups Sugo di Pomodoro
1 cup cubed fresh mozzarella
8-10 fresh basil leaves, chiffonnade
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter {for coating the baking dish}
1/2 cup Parmigiano-ReggianoWash and dry the eggplant. Trim off the end and green top. Slice the eggplant into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Place the rounds in overlapping layers in a colander and sprinkle with the salt, making sure each round gets some salt flakes on it. Let the eggplant steep for about 30 minutes. Rinse each round under cold running water and lay each one flat on an absorbent dishtowel or a layer of paper towels. Pat dry.
Line a baking sheet with 3-4 layers of paper towels and set by the stovetop. Place the flour in a shallow dish {such as a pie dish} and set by the stovetop.
Place the Sugo di Pomodoro in a saucepan and warm it over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent it from scorching. Remove the sauce from the heat and keep the saucepan covered while you cook the eggplant.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add in the vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees using an oil/candy thermometer. Dredge the eggplant slices {both sides} in the flour, shaking off any excess flour and carefully place them into the heated oil. Fry only a few eggplant slices at a time so you do not crowd the pan. Adjust the heat under the frying pan as necessary to make sure the oil does not get too hot or too cool. Turn each eggplant slice only once, until each side is golden brown. Use tongs to transfer the cooked eggplant slices to the paper towel-lined baking sheet.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter an oven-safe baking dish. Set aside.
Spoon a few ladels of the Sugo di Pomodoro onto the bottom of the baking dish {the sauce does not need to cover the bottom of the dish completely}. Lay a few eggplant rounds on the bottom of the dish, overlapping them slightly. Spoon more tomato sauce on top of the eggplant rounds. Sprinkle some of the Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of the sauce and then dot the eggplant rounds with some of the cubed mozzarella. Sprinkle on some of the fresh basil. Repeat these steps until you have filled the baking dish. Finish the top of the Eggplant Parmigiana with more tomato sauce, a sprinkling of Parmigiano, mozzarella and basil.
Note: The Eggplant Parmigiana sould not be swimming in tomato sauce, so be sure to use a light hand when spooning sauce onto each layer of eggplant.
Transfer the Eggplant Parmigiana to the heated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the mozzarella has melted and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
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This looks amazing! I love eggplant parm, and yours looks absolutely wonderful. Can't wait to try!
Ohhh this looks so fantastically cozy! I have to give this a try, I've never really cooked much with eggplant :)
I totally know what you mean about how difficult writing can be in blogging. Sometimes it comes easy to me, and othertimes I really, really struggle. For what it's worth, I enjoy your writing! Don't second guess yourself, I'd love to read more of it!
Also, I made chicken parmigiana earlier this week, and I definitely need to try this eggplant version!
so glad to see you back, and excited to see you go and see your mama. I've always wanted to try eggplant parm but am totally intimidated. Thanks for breaking it down for us! Amen sister!
This is one of my hubby's faves!
This is one of my absolute favourites and this version looks absolutely stunning. I'm pinning this because I will definitely be making it this winter! Hope you've had a lovely and relaxing weekend after all the stress of the last few weeks.
Looks just like my husband's family makes it!!!
I'm glad your father-in-law is doing better. Surgery is so scary and it's perfectly understandable that you've fallen behind.
Writing is something I struggle with as well. I took a workshop recently that helped quite a bit and am thinking an extended course might be in my future.
This sounds delicious. I've been planning to make eggplant parmigiana next week for dinner so maybe I'll give your version a try!
I want to make this and eat it because it looks delicious, amen! :)