First you cut an eggplant into rings or long strips, whichever way suits you. You can skin it or keep the skin on, but remember that most of the vitamins are in the skin. (Eggplant contains potassium, fiber, and minerals and is considered a fruit - a berry as a matter of fact!)
Salt both sides of the eggplant and let it sit in a colander for an hour. Put some paper towels on top with a couple of plates to weigh the eggplant down. This will help remove a lot of the moisture and ensure you won’t get a soggy dish.
Next you wipe off the excess salt and dip each piece into flour (we are using whole wheat white flour here) egg and panko bread crumbs that have been seasoned with oregano, dried parmesan, garlic and rosemary.
You have to have a pan with some olive oil heated up on medium high heat ready to go. Brown the egg plant in a single layer in shifts. Once the eggplant is brown on both sides move it to a dish with paper towels while you finish browning the rest. You can use cooking spray if you’re worried about the calories. It starts out at about 25 calories per cup so you can decide where you want to go from there.
Once that’s done you simply layer the eggplant, mozzarella and fresh parmesan in the pan with tomato sauce. I have 4 layers in this pan.
Bake it for 30 minutes on 350 degrees. That’s how I make Eggplant Parmesan. This is a great make ahead dish too; just don’t bake it until you are ready to serve.
My other favorite is Eggplant Pizza. I like to start with multi grain dough from the supermarket. I roll it out and bake it for 10 minutes on 350 degrees. Then I take it out and pile it high with ingredients. I like to slice up the breaded and browned eggplant - add red onions (already sautéed) and sliced black olives with a good jar of sauce, mozzarella and parmesan.
So now you know what to do with the eggplant you’ve just grown or bought. Any other eggplant favorites?
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