Eggplant Parmigiana

I love Italian food. I love the process of making a marinara sauce that cooks for half a day. The aroma of garlic and onions and basil and tomatoes.....it makes for a happy kitchen. For a great eggplant parmigiana you need a good base which is your sauce. Before you even start thinking about what to do with those eggplants sitting on the counter, let's get the sauce simmering away on the stovetop.

Marinara Sauce

1 small yellow onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 T. olive oil
Splash of red wine
3 – 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
1 t. each basil, oregano, thyme, finely chopped

Heat olive oil in Dutch oven on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 3 – 4 minutes. Deglaze with a little red wine. Then add crushed tomatoes. Season with basil, oregano and thyme. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Simmer for about 4 hours to thicken up. Give it a stir about every 20 minutes or so. Taste each time your stir. Not that there's a reason to, but it's so good you'll want to taste each time your stir. However, adjust seasonings to your liking.

Once the sauce is happily bubbling away, let's move on to the eggplant!

Canola Oil
2 large eggplants
All-purpose flour
5 eggs
Italian Style bread crumbs
1 quart marinara sauce
16 ounces sliced dry mozzarella
8 ounces grated Romano/Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350º F and heat oil in a skillet or deep-fryer. Peel the eggplant and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices lengthwise. Place a double layer of paper towels down and arrange slices. Sprinkle with salt and place a double layer of paper towels on top of the eggplant. Weigh the eggplant down with some of your LeCreuset (or any of your cast iron skillets...you do have a cast iron skillet don't you?) to help press out the moisture. The eggplant will fry better if you take out some of the moisture first. Change the top layer of paper towels after about an hour.

Coat each side of the eggplant with the flour. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and dip the eggplant into the egg to coat both sides. Then take your bread crumbs and do the same to coat each side.

Once the oil is hot, put the eggplant in the hot oil and fry until golden brown. You can also use a deep-fryer and leave in for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Once all of the eggplant has been fried, grease a 13 x 9 baking pan and start the layering by adding enough marinara sauce to cover the bottom of the pan, then a layer of eggplant, more sauce, fresh mozzarella, Romano/Parmesan cheese, and continue to layer until you have reached the top of the pan. Top off with sauce, mozzarella, and grated Romano.

Place the eggplant into the oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until all browned and bubbly.

Serve to your happy family and friends around the table.