Nevertheless, I am not one to back down from a challenge, especially a foodie one. I hopped online, looking for ways to cook an eggplant while avoiding the issues it can have. I was lucky enough to happen upon this post on Eggplant Parmesan. I didn't have Parmesan in my fridge today and thus his recipe required some tweaking. The previous post on the blog discussed different ways of purging and bleeding an eggplant, a process which pulls the water (cutting out the sliminess) and the bitter taste. The easiest way he found was to the salt sliced eggplant on both sides and then sandwhich it between layers of paper towels and plates. Then pop it in the microwave for three or so minutes (mine took 5) till it has heated enough to release the water. Then you press on it with a towel to squish out the rest of the liquid. (It does smell a little when you heat it up btw.)
SO, materials needed:
1 large eggplant (italian types work well)
`1/4 c flour
2T cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1 c bread crumbs
1T oregano
1tsp Herbes de Provence
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c oil
5 large tomatoes
1/2 chopped large onion
3 cloves garlic, grated
2T oregano
1tsp basil
1/4 tsp marjoram, optional
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 eggs (optional)
1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
Take the squished eggplant and bread and fry it, dredging it in about 1/4c flour with 2T cornstarch mixed in; then two scrambled eggs, then breadcrumbs (I made from stale leftover biscuits) with 1 T oregano, 1 tsp Herbes de Provence, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. I then heated about 1/4 c oil in a pan till it was about 350 degrees. Then fried the slices of eggplant till they were a caramel brown. Drained on paper towels immediately afterwards. At this point I turned on the oven to 375 and got out my 9x9 glass square pan. Then I cleaned out the pan and sliced 5 large tomatoes and put them into the dry pan over med heat, covered and cooked for a few min till the skins began to slip off. Took the skins out, and continued to simmer while adding 1/2 large onion, chopped, 3 cloves grated garlic, 2 T oregano, 1 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp marjoram, 2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. I like my casseroles drier than most people, so I simmered mine till nearly a tomato sauce. While this was simmering, I hard-boiled 5 eggs (I like a 9 minute egg), drained them, cracked the shells in the pan then added cold water to cover and let cool a little. When cooled enough to handle I peeled and then sliced the eggs. With the sauce where I wanted it, I added about 1/4c to the bottom (no grease needed) and layered the breaded eggplant, and about 1/2 c shredded mozza cheese, then again eggplant, sauce and cheese, then a layer of hard-boiled eggs, the the last of the eggplant, sauce and cheese. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 20 minutes. Let sit for about 5-10 min to firm up, then enjoy!
