Eggplant is never better than in mid-summer, locally grown. So here’s a classic dish with a few innovations. First, eggplant is soggy if just sliced,
doused with EVOO and baked. It only gets soggier when it is combined
with sauce and cheeses and then baked again as a casserole, which is what
we have in mind. Second, according to The Little Woman, a robust
Italian tomato sauce must have some ground beef in it. Third, mild
Italian sausage plays off admirably against the sauce, cheeses and the
crispy eggplant.
So here we have:
EGGPLANT PARMIGIANO
See abbreviations, if needed
2 eggplants, sliced ¼ inch thick
1T coarse salt
1C AP flour
4 eggs, beaten
8oz Panko or other bread crumbs
1C grated Parmigiano Reggiano
3 medium spicy Italian sausage links
2T EVOO
1 red or green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, pureed
1 red onion, diced
½ Lb ground beef
30oz canned diced tomatoes
6oz canned tomato sauce
1T Italian herb blend (oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary)
6oz diced mozzarella
FOR THE EGGPLANT:
1. Set up an “English Breading Station”: (three
paper plates: a, b, and c)
a. flour and S/P
b. egg wash
c. Panko and a little of the Parmigiano Reggiano
2. One at a time: Flour an eggplant slice, then transfer it to
the egg wash plate, then coat it thoroughly in the Panko plate
3. Place all slices on a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Or on a sheet pan greased with EVOO
4. Bake the eggplant in a preheated 425F oven for 30 minutes,
turning the pieces at 15 minutes, and then remove the crispy eggplant but leave the oven on
FOR THE SAUCE:
5. Place sausages in pan of water and BTB, cool, peel and slice
into bite sized pieces
6. In a large evaseé like pan, sauté diced onion, pepper and garlic in EVOO, to translucent and then hold
7. In a frying pan, sauté ground beef in EVOO, drain and
transfer to evaseé
8. To the evaseé, add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, S/P,
Italian herbs and then
BTB, add sausages, then reduce heat and simmer
about 45 minutes
TO ASSEMBLE:
9. Spread some tomato sauce in the bottom of large buttered
baking dish
10. Layer in half of the eggplant slices
11. Add more sauce over the eggplant, then sprinkle with half
of the mozzarella
12. Layer in remaining eggplant and some more sauce but don’t
drown this top layer
13. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano
and the mozzarella
14. Bake at 425F until bubbling, about 15 minutes
15. Brown top under broiler
NOTE: The crispy eggplant takes a little more time, but it’s
worth it.