That's Aubergine to You, Mate

Eggplant Parmesan

In my vegetarian college days, I used to love eggplant. One of the reasons is that it is usually sold by the piece, rather than by the pound, so as a person on a budget, I always looked for the biggest, prettiest one for the money. And eggplant is cheap to begin with. Here's how to make Eggplant Parmesan (Parmigiano if you prefer):

1 large or several small eggplants, sliced 3/8" thick
salt
paper towels
bread crumbs or bread ends
dried oregano
dried basil
grated parmesan cheese
garlic salt
eggs
milk or milk-like substance
tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese

glass baking dish
parchment
food processor
cookie sheet

The reason this recipe is so vague is that if you are eating by yourself, you are going to buy a small eggplant (did you know that they are so named because the variety that existed in the new world that was "discovered" by the europeans was small, white and egg-shaped?), use one egg, one piece of toasted bread, etc., while if you are feeding a family, you may use two large eggplants and increase everything proportionately. You're going to have to wing it.

Slice eggplants, toss with a sprinkle of salt in a bowl, and lay out on paper towels. Flip after 20 minutes. This step is optional, but it allows the salt to draw out some of the moisture and bitterness, making for a firmer, less slimy end product. If slimy bothers you, you might want to do it.

While the eggplants are draining, toast your bread ends, stale baguette pieces, whatever, in the toaster, then chop roughly and crumbify in the food processor until very fine. (If you've been thriftily saving bread ends and already have your dry crumbs in the pantry, good for you.) Add a teaspoon or so of dried oregano and basil, a half-teaspoon of garlic salt, and about one part parmesan cheese to two parts of bread. Whirr in the processor until well combined.

Now you can do this one of two ways, and I've tried both. Beat some eggs with a dab of milk in a bowl. Pour your crumbs into a shallow pan or plate. From here, either line a cookie sheet with parchment and oil or spray with cooking spray, or pour some tomato sauce into the bottom of a glass pan. Depends on how you want to cook your eggplant, wet (firmer) or dry (moister).

What I like to do is bake off the eggplant first, THEN layer them in the tomato-sauce pan with sliced mozzarella and top with cheese. Alternately, you can toss ALL of the eggplant in the egg bowl, mix, and then toss all of it in the crumbs to coat, and pour the whole mess in the pan with the tomato sauce. This is the lazy way, and it doesn't cook evenly, but it still tastes good. (If you are a fried-green-tomato fan, this is the way to get out of dipping each dainty little slice and getting a thick gob of crumby goo on your fingers, too. Chop your tomatoes into 1 inch cubes instead of slices, coat with egg all at once, toss in crumbs and spread the whole mass out on a greased cookie sheet or fry in a big cast iron pan. Kentucky style. Thanks Diana Brown.)

First things first. Dip each slice in egg, then in crumbs, then place on the parchment. Bake at 350 until golden on one side, then flip and finish the other side. Prepare glass pan with a thin pool of tomato sauce, then layer the cooked eggplant slices with slices or dabs of mozzarella cheese, and finish with the remaining tomato sauce and a sprinkle of the remaining parm over everything. Bake again until the cheese is melted and the tops brown.

We had this yesterday with chicken that was coated in herbs, sliced thin and baked in the same hot oven, and some steamed broccoli. Tonight, the leftovers were tossed with green beans and penne pasta. My vegetarian days were important and nostalgic cooking days for me, learning how to keep a budget and keep myself fed and healthy. I still think about those times when I eat this dish. It's warm and smells like a pizza palace, the eggplant has a meat-like bite to it, and it's comforting and yummy in the tummy. And cheap.