Now we've discovered that none are as fabulous as this one.
It has that specific NYC salty flavour with sweet eggplant layers. The earlier recipe in this blog is also great, but this one beats it.
For a 9" by 13", medium size Pyrex or baking dish: Peel off the bitter skin and thinly slice 1 or 2 fat eggplants. As a guideline, each layer needs about 5 slices and you will need 3 layers.
Place the cut eggplant rounds in a colander, and heavily salt each layer. Let this sit and sweat for about 1 hour. Don't worry, it won't be salty when cooked. Rince each slice and pat dry with paper towel.
YES, the salting makes a difference, especially as this recipe has no breading or flour. It will be pure, sweet eggplant once cooked.
While salting, make the sauce.
Passata- a jar of pureed tomatoes. A dream for this recipe. In olive oil, add a few chili flakes, and crush a few big cloves of garlic, saute until golden. Then take the garlic out. This way you have flavored the sauce with enough punch but it's not overpowering. Add the Passata to this and let cook for a little while only. Add salt and pepper. Voila!
For this eggplant parma version, the eggplant is NAKED. In a large pan, place about a 1/2 inch of light oil, I like canola, and make sure it is quite hot. I dip the edge of the eggplant into it and if it sizzles, it is ready. Brown each side of the eggplant, about 2-3 minutes per side and let it rest on paper towel once cooked to drain any excess oil.
To assemble the parma, you will need lots of fresh basil and shredded mozz for each layer. Fresh mozz is also great in this dish, and a combo of the two works well.
First place sauce on the bottom of the pan and drizzle a little olive oil on top of it. place a few slices of eggplant to cover, and it doesn't have to be perfect. Now add lots of torn up basil, lots of shredded cheese and spoon over some sauce. Repeat this until the last layer. you will need at leaswt 3 layers. If the pan is deep, do 4, what the heck! Top with sauce, mozz and cheese.
This will bake in the oven at 350F for about 45 -50 min, until the cheese is melt and bubbly. Once cooked, let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
This is a winner. The house will smell great! Keep some for leftovers to sop up with a crusty baguette. It is always better the next day!!!
