Holymoly, I gobbled up Eggplant Parmesan today! Any T&T recipes, please?

[Joanie B]

I am an equal opportunity veggie eater--will try something at least once (except for mushrooms!), but eggplant has always been one of those yuck! veggies for me, I had some on a roasted veggie salad years ago and it was bitter and chewy/tough, so never went down that road again. DH & I were out today and went to a new natural foods store that had a hot bar/salad bar. As it was well past the lunch rush, the pickins were slim, and eggplant parm was one of the neglected options. I scooped a cheesy corner out just for the heck of it (this bar was $6.99/lb, so I didn't get much of this potential no-no). Good grief--What a wonderful surprise! Granted, the tart tomato sauce and crusty cheese made it easily palatable, but the eggplant texture was soft, like thick sliced zucchini, and no bitterness! I almost went back thru the check-out line for another scoop!

Can you guys help me make some at home? I've found some old threads recommending an old EW Eggplant parm that folks liked a lot, and a CL eggplant parm lasagna, mention of another CL recipe, and found a few recipes on Veg Times. Does anyone have a healthy T&T for eggplant parm they can offer? I would love to make this in my brownie edge pan maybe, lots of corners/edges to savor.

So--salting eggplant to draw out some moisture, yea or nay?

Thanks bunches for any ideas.

[zwieback]

We really like this one from The Silver Spoon cookbook.


PARMESAN EGGPLANT
For 6
 
4-5 Eggplants, cut lengthwise into ¼ - inch thick slices
1 pound 2 ounces tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
½ bunch of fresh basil
6 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
3 ½ ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
 
Place the eggplant slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt and let drain for about 1 hour.  Meanwhile, put the tomatoes, 4-5 basil leaves in a pan, season with salt and pepper according to taste, and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and pass through a food mill into a bowl.
 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry.  Heat the oil in a skillet, add the eggplant slices, in batches if necessary, and fry until golden brown on both sides.  Remove with a slotted spatula and drain on paper towels.  
 
Spoon a little of the tomato sauce into an ovenproof dish and arrange a layer of slightly overlapping eggplant slices on top.  Sprinkle with a little of the Parmesan, cover with few slices of the mozzarella and sprinkle a few basil leaves and 3-4 tablespoons of the beaten eggs on top.  Continue making layers until all the ingredients are used, ending with a layer of sliced eggplant sprinkled with tomato sauce.  Dot with butter and bake for 30 minutes.  

This dish is also good served cold.

[faygs]

I made THIS recipe from Martha Rose Shulman a couple months ago and it was fantastic.

[margeslp]

Vegetarian Eggplant Parmesan

1 recipe vegetarian spaghetti sauce
Flour seasoned with garlic powder, oregano, basil, parsley, paprika
1 cup bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Milk
4 eggs
2 eggplants
Olive oil
1 large container Ricotta cheese
garlic salt
16 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
Slice eggplants into 1/2” rounds.
Mix bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
Beat 2 eggs and milk.
Mix Ricotta cheese with 2 eggsm 1/2 Parmesan cheese, 1/4 t. each oregano, basil,
parsley and garlic salt.
Dip first in seasoned flour, egg mix, then bread crumbs.
Heat oil in frying pan.
Brown breaded eggplant on each side.
Line lasagna pan with small amount of spaghetti sauce.
Place third of eggplant rounds on sauce.
Top with half seasoned Ricotta.
Cover with third of remaining spaghetti sauce.
Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese.
Top with half Mozzarella cheese.
Repeat layers of eggplant, Ricotta, sauce and cheeses.
Finish with remaining eggplant.
Top with sauce and remaining Mozzarella cheese.
Bake in 325 oven for 45 minutes.

Meatless Spaghetti Sauce
2 cans (28 oz) whole Italian tomatoes
2 t. chopped garlic
2 T fresh chopped parsley
2 t. dried oregano
2 t. dried basil
1 t. fennel seeds
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
Crush tomatoes.
Add all ingredients to pot.
Simmer until reduced 1/2 and puree in blender.

Most of the time I just serve baked Italian sausage as a side for the meat-eaters.

I have tried buying small eggplants to assure minimal seeds where some of the bitterness is. And I always salt to extract both bitterness and moisture. One son adores this and the other doesn't like eggplant (but eats everything else). I think part of the dislike is the skin. Since recipe is time consuming already, I won't peel all the skin off, but I will go around the eggplant and peel off stripes of skin.

[Joanie B]

Woohoo, thanks, folks. Zwieback, that one would be perfect right now with all the fresh tomatoes we have, thank you!

faygs, that cookbook looks amazing, lalalalala, not putting it on my Amazon wish list--yet!

Marge, that one looks a lot like some of the eggplant lasagnas I found. I wondered if smaller eggplants would tend to be less bitter, thanks for the heads-up!

So many variations on this dish, very interesting.

Thanks, again, BB!

[Canice]

I wondered if smaller eggplants would tend to be less bitter, thanks for the heads-up!

Yep, smaller is better. Also, males have fewer seeds than females, so they're less bitter as well.

I'm suddenly craving this dish! One of my favorite Italian appetizers is involtini di melanzane (eggplant roll-ups). My last attempt was a disaster so it became a gratin

[PAMMELA]

I really like CL's from quite a few years ago...you bread and broil the eggplant slices....

[Joanie B]

Yep, smaller is better. Also, males have fewer seeds than females, so they're less bitter as well.

I'm suddenly craving this dish! One of my favorite Italian appetizers is involtini di melanzane (eggplant roll-ups). My last attempt was a disaster so it became a gratin

Male & female, huh? So male = rounded indent on bottom & maybe smaller = less seeds = less bitter, right, Canice? Are they supposed to be slightly soft? Just got back from shopping and they had a bunch from local farms (they must be loving this heat), and I spent some time communing with a few. Some were quite firm, like a watermelon, and others had a bit of give when squooze. I passed on grabbing one or 2, no way that oven's coming on til Sunday or Monday anyway. Will now know to look for a small little feller with an "innie" next trip.

Yikes, Pamela, do you recall which CL version you liked, please? CL is quite fond of revising this dish! Thanks, ma'm!
October 1995
Sept. 2010
March 2001
May 2006

[margeslp]

Although labor intensive, it can be broken down into individual tasks that can be spread out over several days. I don't mind the prep and cooking but I hate having to wash all the dishes you use to make this.

[heavy hedonist]

If the eggplant is really fresh, it's unlikely to be bitter. So if you find some at the farmer's market, you're in luck!

if you enjoyed the parm, you'll probably love Moussaka-- here's my fave, from Bon Appetit, Sept. 1999:

Vegetable Moussaka

3 1/2 pounds eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

1/2 cup (about) olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 cup finely chopped peeled carrots
1 cup finely chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
7 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks


Preparation

Cover 2 baking sheets with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides of eggplant rounds with salt. Arrange eggplant in single layer atop towels. Let stand 30 minutes.

Position first rack in bottom third of oven and second rack in top third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Remove eggplant and paper towels from baking sheets. Pat eggplant dry. Oil same baking sheets. Brush both sides of eggplant rounds with 1/4 cup oil. Arrange in single layer on baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Turn eggplant and rotate pans in oven. Continue baking until tender, about 15 minutes longer. Cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Sauté until onion is very tender, about 12 minutes. Mix in garlic, then mushrooms. Sauté until juices evaporate, about 10 minutes. Mix in oregano and cinnamon. Add tomatoes and parsley. Cook until mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Lightly oil 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange half of eggplant rounds in single layer in dish. Spoon half of tomato mixture evenly over eggplant. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese. Repeat layering with remaining eggplant, tomato mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese.

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/2 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk yolks in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot sauce. Pour sauce over vegetables in dish. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over sauce. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Bake moussaka until heated through and sauce is golden brown on top, about 45 minutes (or about 55 minutes for refrigerated moussaka). Cool 15 minutes.


It's sumptuous, and a great party/potluck dish.

[oct2189]

I really like CL's from quite a few years ago...you bread and broil the eggplant slices....

Is it
THIS one?

[Teresa]

This is one from 2000, very simple and easy to make. Love it.

Baked Eggplant with Mushroom-and-Tomato Sauce


From Cooking Light, Nov 2000




1 peeled eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 1/4 pounds)
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce, divided
2/3 cup (about 3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat broiler.
Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat; add onion and next 4 ingredients (onion through mushrooms). Cover and cook 7 minutes or until tender, stirring mixture occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high; uncover and cook for 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates.
Spread half of mushroom mixture in bottom of a 1 1/2-quart round baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half of eggplant slices over mushroom mixture; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Top with 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/3 cup mozzarella. Spread remaining mushroom mixture over mozzarella; top with remaining eggplant slices. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon pepper; top with remaining tomato sauce. Cover and bake at 375° for 1 hour. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 168(30% from fat); FAT 5.6g (sat 3.2g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 10.9g; CHOLESTEROL 16mg; CALCIUM 236mg; SODIUM 369mg; FIBER 6.1g; IRON 2.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 21g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2000

[PAMMELA]

Is it
THIS one?

Yes! Very delicious!!!