Comment: This recipe is straight out of The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook 1980 edition with a few minor variations and it is has become a family favorite. If we’re lucky to have leftovers, there’s a waiting line. We added a pasta side, using the same eggplant sauce and this makes for a more complete meal. Do things slowly, there are several steps along the way but after doing it a few times, it’ll become routine and well worth the effort.
Cooking time:
To prepare batter and fry eggplant, 20 minutes
To prepare sauce, 20 minutes
To bake eggplant, 30 minutes
Serves:
6
Ingredients to prepare eggplant for frying:
1 large eggplant cut into ¼- ½” slices (minimum 12 slices)
8 oz vegetable oil for frying eggplant
2 large eggs w/splash of milk or water mixed in a 12” round dish
1 cup HomeMade GF Bread Crumbs into a 12” round dish
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbl spoon Oregano
1 tsp salt
To fry eggplant:
- Heat oil in a 12” non-stick fry pan to a high temperature.
- Dredge each slice of eggplant through the egg, hold up with a fork to allow egg to drain off.
- Flop each slice in bread crumbs to which you add the garlic powder, Oregano & salt.
- Once coated each side with bread crumbs, carefully place each piece in hot oil and fry – flipping from one side to the other until browned (do not burn).
- Once cooked, use a fork to remove from hot oil and place pieces on a brown paper bag to absorb excess oil. Repeat until all slices have been prepared. Set aside
Ingredients for sauce:
2 28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes finger broken into small pieces and remove tough cores – if any.
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbl sugar
1 tbl Oregano or Parsley or Basil (or a combination)
To prepare sauce:
Add all sauce ingredients to a 3 quart pan w/cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Ingredients to add to eggplant before baking:
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
To bake eggplant:
- Spread enough sauce on the bottom of an oven-safe cookware glass 9x12” dish
- Lay 6 slices fried eggplant in 2 rows on top of sauce and spoon out enough sauce to cover each slice.
- Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the slices
- Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over the slices<
- Cover each slice with sauce
- Cover each slice with a new piece of fried eggplant and repeat sauce/cheese coverings ending with a cover of Mozzarella.
- Bake for 25 minutes in a 350 degrees F oven. Half way through the baking time look at the top cheese and if it is becoming too brown or dry, cover the dish with alum foil after spraying down side with a non-stick spray. The eggplant is ready when bubbles of sauce begin to appear along the sides of the baking dish.
Ingredients & Cooking of Pasta:
Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pan w/lid and drop in 3 8oz cups of Ziti or a pound of spaghetti (more if you wish as there’s plenty of sauce). When cooked, rinse under hot tap water and serve with sauce in individual bowls or on plates w/eggplant.
Condiments: Grated Parmesan Cheese
Sides: Mixed Green Salad
|
Fresh eggplant sliced
Eggplant slices dipped in egg, coated w/bread crumbs
Fried eggplant slices on paper to dry
Fried eggplant parmesan
Eggplant sauce on pasta |
