Eggplant parmesan and Mamma Mia!

Ok folks, be warned, this is not a healthy one, nor is it quick. Actually it pretty much makes a huge mess of the kitchen, I will kid you not. So why did I put it here? Because it is so damn good, mess, calories, time consumption and all. As long as you have ABBA, it is all good.

My dear friend, Amanda, gave me her recipe, and I made some changes to make it gluten-free friendly. This is a keeper my friends! But I will give you this tip...give yourself a few hours from start to finish. Don't do what I did, and start frying up the eggplant an hour before your child's bedtime...oops. Read the entire recipe before you start so you get an idea for timing.

There are 3 component of this recipe...1) the eggplant; 2) the sauce; and 3) putting it together. So I will lay it out as easy as possible.

The sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
28-oz can chunky tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp sugar

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan, add minced garlic and sauté for a minute. Add basil and sauté for another minute. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer on low heat for flavors to blend.

Eggplant:

2 large eggplants
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup of gluten-free bread crumbs (I use Schär)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

Grapeseed or vegetable oil for frying

Peel and slice eggplant width-wise into round 1/4" thick slices.

Place slices in layers in a large strainer over a plate, lightly salting slices between layers.

Cover the strainer with a paper towel and place a heavy object on top (I used my blender) for about 1 hour to extract the bitter juices. Afterwards, squeeze press slice between paper towel to release any residual juice.

Preheat the oven at 350'F.

Combine eggs and milk in a bowl, whisk together.

Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and oregano in shallow dish (pie plate works well).

Pour a thin layer of oil in a pan at medium to medium-high heat.

Dip eggplant in egg mixture, then dredge both sides in bread crumbs, and place in heated pan. Repeat for each slice and fry until golden. Place the slices on paper towels to blot any excess oil. I like to prepare all the eggplant in the egg and bread crumbs first, place them on a plate and then start frying, but do whatever is easiest for you. If the oil starts getting messy, wipe with a clean paper towel, add more oil and continue frying.

Putting it together:

1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese

1/4 parmesan cheese

Once the eggplant slices are done, place some of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Place a layer of eggplant slices on top, then another spoonful of sauce on each slice (use sauce sparingly, just to flavor each slice). Sprinkle a 1/3 of the mozzarella, and repeat until you have used all the eggplant and top with the parmesan.

Cover dish with foil and bake at 350'F for 35 mintues, remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Serve with a side of pasta or a salad. Tonight, I served with Cornito noodles and topped it with some of the leftover sauce. Cornito pasta tastes just like egg noodles (a family favorite) and feels like what you would get with your eggplant parmesan in an old school Italian restaurant, you know the kind I am talking about. Of course a salad is refreshing and a bit healthier, but the pasta is just so good!

Buon Appetito!