eggplant parmesan, basil
Ingredients:
- 1 eggplant
- 1 cup marinara
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
- fresh basil
The How To:
- Cut the eggplant width-wise into 1/3” pieces. Lay out onto a clean dish towel. Salt one side liberally and let sit for about 2-3 hours. The salt will pull out the extra water that tends to make eggplant bitter. Wipe salt off with a clean dish towel, flip the eggplant pieces, and salt the other side; again let it sit for 2-3 hours. Wipe all remaining salt off but do not wet the eggplant because it’s like a sponge and will soak up allllll the water and turn bitter all over again and your early morning salting ritual will be for naught.
- About 30 minutes prior to eating, prep your stations by mixing one egg in a large bowl, and by mixing breadcrumbs and ground pepper onto a plate.
- Preheat the oven to 420 degrees.
- Add your canola oil to large cast iron and heat to medium high.
- Dredge each eggplant piece in the egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs. You’re looking for a light dredge, so only one round of dredging. Place dredged pieces in the cast iron and fry each side for about 1 1/2 minutes or just until brown.
- Place all cooked eggplant on a paper towel to remove excess oil before moving the pieces to a broiler pan.
- Bake for about 8 minutes or until crispy. Remove from oven and spoon a little sauce onto the tops of each slice. Top with a little motz and a little parm.
- Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another five minutes.
- Serve warm and top with fresh basil.