Our neighbor had a few extra eggplants that they had grown and I happily took them. I thought I’d make one of my favorite
Small Eggplants
eggplant recipes, baba ghanouj (pronounced ga-new), but one of my clients always talks about how good his eggplant Parmesan is, so I made that instead. The eggplant is baked instead of fried, but it is still breaded which admittedly reduces its diet-worthiness. (My recipe for grill-cooked baba ghanouj is at the bottom of this post).
Eggplant Parmesan (Adapted from a Meatless Monday recipe)-1 large eggplant or up to 3 smallish ones (which is what I had)– 1 cup flour-2 eggs-1/2 cup milk-2 cups italian bread crumbs (or more)-2 cups of your favorite marinara type spaghetti or pizza sauce-1/2 cup parmesan cheese-1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (optional, omit for lower fat/calorie version)
Breaded and Baked Eggplant
My client Jim E. says the secret to his Eggplant Parmesan is to remove as much water from the eggplant as possible ahead of time. He does this by slicing the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick discs, lightly salting them and placing them in a single layer between two kitchen towels for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 400′ and cooking spray two cookie sheets (or ‘grease’ with olive oil).
Next, put the flour in a bowl and dredge each slice of eggplant until they are coated and set eggplant aside. Add the Italian bread
crumbs to remaining flour (or dump out the flour, your choice). Scramble the two eggs and milk together in a bowl. Dunk a slice of eggplant into the milk and egg mixture and then dredge to coat in the bread crumbs. Arrange breaded eggplant onto your prepared cookie sheets. Repeat until all the eggplant is coated, or your hands
Eggplant Parmesan
get so disgusting that you decide to throw it all out and go out for dinner (only to remember you left the oven on ;-).
Put the eggplant in the oven for 10 minutes. Pull it out, flip the eggplant slices and bake again for 10 minutes. Remove the eggplant from the oven and TURN THE OVEN DOWN to 350′.
Next, put the browned eggplant into a greased 9×13 pan, layer in an overlapped fashion as needed to fit it all in. Pour the two cups of marinara sauce on top and then sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove your eggplant from the oven and remove the aluminum foil. (You can add the mozzarella now if desired). Put it back in the oven and bake uncovered about 10 – 15 minutes until the cheese looks bubbly or slightly browned. We recommend serving with extra marinara sauce and a gorgeous salad.
Baba Ghanouj (A delicious eggplant dip)-1 large eggplant-2 cloves of garlic-2 Tablespoon lemon juice or juice of 1/2 a fresh lemon-1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or coriander(optional)-2 Tablespoons Tahini (optional, none for low fat, or up to 4T to taste)-1 Tablespoon Olive oil (also optional for low fat version)Roast the eggplant until mushy soft. You can do this several ways and here is a link to a great photo series. Method one: On the grill, prick the eggplant and wrap in aluminum foil and bake on low heat, rotating 1/4 turn every 8-10 minutes until very soft. Method two: prick and wrap in aluminum foil as before but bake at 350′ in oven for 45-60 minutes until very soft (use a pan or cookie sheet to catch drips). Method three: Slice eggplant in half and place face down in greased pan and put under broiler for 15-30 minutes until charred and very soft. Method four: Prick eggplant and place on a couple paper towels or in bowl and microwave on high until it deflates 8-15 minutes depending on size (This last method loses that tasty smokey flavor, but it is the quickest.)
When cool enough to handle, scoop out the soft insides and put into blender with any captured juices and all other ingredients. Blend until smooth and enjoy with fresh vegetables or on a sandwich. Try to avoid using every bread and cracker in the house to scoop it up or you’ll blow this otherwise healthy food! Enjoy, -XO
