Eggplant Parmesan For Two Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
• In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
• Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Steps:

• Bread Eggplant: Cut two 3/4-inch planks lengthwise from center of eggplant, halve each plank crosswise. Cut remaining eggplant into 1/2-inch dice and set aside. Place flour in shallow dish. Beat egg in second shallow dish. Combine bread crumbs, 1/4-cup Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in third shallow dish. One at a time, coat eggplant slices lightly with flour, dip them in egg and dredge in bread crumb mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer to wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and let sit 5 minutes (or refrigerate up to 1 hour).
• Cook Eggplant: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450°F Heat 1/2 cup oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook eggplant slices until lightly golden browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to wire rack set inside baking sheet and bake until eggplant is tender and deep golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Make Sauce: Meanwhile, pour off oil and wipe out skillet with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the reserved chopped eggplant and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until eggplant is tender and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper; cover and keep warm.
• Assemble: Combine remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and provolone in medium bowl. Top browned eggplant slices with cheese mixture and bake until cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Transfer half of sauce to platter and top with eggplant slices. Spoon remaining sauce over eggplant. Serve.

Steps:

• For the sauce: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and onions and season with salt and the red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions become translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar and the canned tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break up some of the whole tomatoes and cook 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring from time to time. Taste for seasoning. The tomatoes should be fairly broken down and the flavors coming together. Cook for another few minutes if the tomatoes still taste like they need a little more time to break down. Add 2 to 3 cups water to the sauce as it cooks if it looks like it's getting too thick. Set aside to cool.
• For the eggplant: Arrange the eggplant rounds in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt, on both sides of each slice, and allow it to sit for about an hour. (Salting it draws out the liquid and bitter flavor.) After an hour, rinse with cold water and dry them thoroughly with a kitchen towel.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Put the flour in a medium bowl. In another, whisk together the eggs and milk. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the oregano and fresh thyme leaves. Dip each eggplant slice in the flour and shake off any excess. Then, dip in the egg mixture and finally in the breadcrumbs. Make sure to coat both sides of each slice. Arrange them in single layers back on the baking sheets.
• In a large skillet, pour enough oil to accumulate about 1/2-inch in the bottom. Heat the oil until it begins to smoke lightly (alternatively, test with a thermometer and wait until it registers between 380 and 400 degrees F). Use a pair of kitchen tongs to add a single layer of the eggplant to the oil. Cook them until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil and transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a kitchen towel so the eggplant can drain as the others cook. Season lightly with salt. Take care to reheat the oil back up to temperature before adding another batch of slices to the pan.
• To assemble: In a 17- by 11-inch baking dish, spoon about one-quarter of the tomato sauce on the bottom. Top with a layer of the fried eggplant. The eggplant slices can overlap slightly. Top with about one of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with about one-quarter of the Parmesan and provolone cheeses. Spoon more sauce and repeat two more times to make 3 layers. Top with the remaining mozzarella. Place the dish in the top part of the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 30 to 45 minutes. I always nibble on a bit of that before sharing it with my friends! Serve in a bowl so that you don't miss anything!

Steps:

• For the tomato sauce: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions become translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar and the canned tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break up some of the whole tomatoes and cook 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring from time to time. Taste for seasoning, the tomatoes should be fairly broken down and the flavors coming together. Cook for another few minutes if the tomatoes still taste like they need a little more time to break down. Set aside to cool.
• For the eggplant (this step is optional, leave it out if you have limited time): Arrange the eggplant rounds in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt on both sides of each slice and allow it to sit for about 1 hour. Salting it draws out the liquid and bitter flavor. After an hour, rinse with cold water and dry them thoroughly with a kitchen towel.
• Put the flour in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the oregano and fresh thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Dip each eggplant slice in the flour and shake off any excess. Then, dip in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Make sure to coat both sides of each slice of eggplant. Arrange them in single layers on the baking sheets.
• In a large skillet, pour enough oil to accumulate about 1/2-inch in the bottom. Heat the oil until it begins to smoke lightly (alternatively, test with a thermometer and wait until the oil registers between 380 degrees F and 400 degrees F). Use a pair of kitchen tongs to add a single layer of the eggplant to the pan. Cook them until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil and transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a kitchen towel so the eggplant can drain as the others cook. Season lightly with salt. Take care to reheat the oil back up to temperature before adding another batch of slices to the pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To assemble: In a 9 by 13-inch flameproof baking dish, spoon about 1/4 of the tomato sauce on the bottom. Top with a layer of the fried eggplant; the eggplant slices can overlap slightly. Top with about 1/3 of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with about 1/4 of the Parmesan and provolone cheeses. Top with a layer of torn basil leaves. Spoon sauce and repeat the layering 2 more times to make 3 layers. End with the remaining mozzarella. Carefully press the layers down firmly into the dish once assembled. Place the dish in the top part of the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. For extra browning, put the dish under the broiler for a minute or two just before serving to get an extra brown cheesy top. I always nibble on a bit of that before sharing it with my friends!

Steps:

• Peel and cut eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices. Sprinkle eggplant slices with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Stack them vertically in a colander, or lay them out on paper towels to drain. If they're laid on paper towels, they should be turned once in a while. Let stand for 30 minutes and then blot dry with clean paper towels. Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Rub 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the eggplant slices, place them on a lipped baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake for 15 minutes. Turn and bake for about 15 additional minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the onion (diced) and soften for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the minced garlic, oregano, basil, pepper and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly; then raise the heat to medium-high, pour in the tomatoes with their juice, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover, reduced the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, until thickened. The dish can be made in advance up to this point. Cover the eggplant slices and the sauce and refrigerate separately for up to 24 hours; allow both to come back to room temperature before proceeding with the dish.
• Layer the following in this order in a 6-cup casserole dish or an 8-inch square baking pan; one-third of the tomato sauce, half the eggplant slices, half the cheese slices, 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg, half of the remaining tomato sauce, the remaining eggplant slices, the remaining cheese shavings, and the remaining tomato sauce. You may have to cut the eggplant slices to make them fit in one layer, or you may have to overlap them a bit.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until thickened and bubbly. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.
• Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven; raise oven heat to 400 degrees.
• Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Using a vegetable peeler, remove skin from rounded side of each eggplant half, leaving a 1" strip of skin around the cut edges; this will hold the eggplant together during cooking. Place eggplant, 2 tablespoons oil in an eight or nine inch baking dish. Turn eggplant to coat with oil; season with salt and pepper and place cut side down. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until eggplants are very soft, 40-45 minutes.
• Toss breadcrumbs and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium bowl. Turn eggplant halves cut side up in the baking dish. Top eggplant halves with tomato sauce and mozzarella, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Bake until mozzarella is bubbling and breadcrumbs are golden, 25-30 minutes.