Baked Eggplant and Cheese or Melanzana alla Parmigiana

I saw this beautiful eggplant in the grocery store yesterday and it was calling my name.  Well, it wasn't actually calling my name but it caught my attention and I knew I had to buy it.  When I got home and I had this beautiful eggplant staring at me on the kitchen counter and it seemed to say "well . . . so what are you going to do with me?"  As fate would have it, I still had Betty Torre's book out, The Complete Beginner's Guide to Everyday Italian Cooking and what do I find . . . an eggplant recipe (and the Angels sang!!)

It is a super easy recipe.  I did do a few substitutions because I didn't feel like running back to the grocery store!  I will note these with **

Ingredients
1 medium to large eggplant peeled and cut in 1/4 inch thick and round slices

Sauce
17 ounce can Italian plumb tomatoes, undrained ** didn't have those so I substituted Italian style tomatoes
1 garlic clove minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp basil

Eggplant
1/2 to 3/4 c flour
3 large eggs, beaten
1 T parsley ** I was out of parsley, so I omitted this
3 T parmesan cheese
olive oil for frying

1 lb mozzeralla cheese
1.4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions

Slice eggplant and put in a colander

Crush the tomatoes by gently squeezing them with your fingers.  Place  in a sauce pan with the garlic and seasonings.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, fry the eggplant. Heat 1/2 inch of Olive Oil in a large skillet.  Beat the eggs with the parsley and cheese.   Rinse and dry the eggplant slices thoroughly.  Dip the slices in the flour first and then into the egg mixture.  Fry a few pieces at a time until golden brown.  Drain on a paper towel.

To put the dish together, put a little bit of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish or casserolle dish.  put the fried eggplant slices in a single layer on top, pour a little sauce on top of the eggplant.  Sprinkle with the mozzeralla and then the parmesan cheese.  Repeat this, ending with the cheeses.

Bake in a hot 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

As a variation, you can use zucchini in place of the eggplant.

VERDICT

Oh yes, this was good!!  Both my husband and I loved it!!  Would be good with a salad and maybe some french bread - you know what I am talking about, don't you  - a glass of wine - sounding good!!!  I digress . . . this is another keeper recipe!!