Dj Donpastas Eggplant Parmesan Recipes

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Peel the eggplant and slice into discs about ½ inch thick. Sprinkle each slice heavily with salt. (This act is called "degorging" and is intended to give the cooked eggplant a firmer texture, while also removing some of the bitter toxins that can build up if the eggplant was grown slowly or in a colder climate. The idea is to remove excess water prior to cooking , as well as bringing these toxins to the surface where they will drain off.)
• Once your eggplant is salted, place the slices on a colander, over a bowl. Don't stack the eggplants on one another. Rather, distribute them evenly around the base and sides of the colander. All them to sit in the colander and drain for 30 to 60 minutes.
• While the eggplant is draining, make your tomato sauce. You can use a sauce from jar, or make my quick tomato sauce, linked above. You should add to the sauce your diced roasted peppers and slivered almonds. I tend to use peppers from a jar, but you can make your own by roasting over the flame of a gas burner, until the outsides are scorched. Alternately, you can oil the outside and place them in a 500 degree oven, until the outsides are scorched and blistered. Either way, be sure to turn them often, so that they scorch evenly on the surface, without ever spending so much time in or on the heat that they overcook and become mushy. Once scorched, place them in a bowl with an airtight lid, or plastic wrap. Allow them to steam for 10 to 20 minutes. Then, remove them from the bowl and peel off the skin and remove the seeds. Roasted peppers!
• Once your sauce is made, taste it and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Set it aside.
• Whisk together your cream and eggs. Set them aside.
• In a separate wide bowl or casserole pan, add your almond flour, chopped oregano and minced garlic, and about 1/3 of the grated parmesan cheese. Blend them well.
• At this point, your eggplant should be ready to rinse. There should be a puddle of translucent brown liquid in the bowl beneath. Discard this liquid. Set a clean towel, or a series of paper towels on the counter. Quickly rinse the eggplant and place the individual slices on the towel and press them somewhat into the towel, to both dry them and also push out any last drops of moisture.
• Heat up about 1/2-inch of oil in a wide sauté pan, over medium-high heat. The oil should be hot (about 350-375 degrees). Test by dropping a single drop of water into the oil (any more than that, and it's dangerous). If it splatters a bit, the oil is hot! (not too hot, though ... you don't want to see smoke and you don't want to burn these)
• Set another clean dry towel, or series of paper towels on the counter.
• This next step comes in repetitive steps. Place about 5 or 6 slices of eggplant into the eggs mixture. Then, remove them and place them into the almond flour mixture. Make sure they are well coated, on both sides. Feel free to press the flour into them, just a bit. You can also let them sit in the flour mixture for a moment, as well. This helps the flour stick to the eggplant. Then, fry the eggplant slices in the hot oil. When they are nice and brown on one side, flip them and fry the other side. While these are frying, dip the next 5 or 6 slices of eggplant into the eggs, then allow them to be fully dusted and settled into the almond flour mixture. Once the eggplant has fried, place the hot slices on the towels to drain. Repeat these steps until all the eggplant has been fried. Try not to eat all the fried eggplant slices, or you'll have nothing to make the eggplant parmesan out of.
• Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
• Now, picture the sauce and divide it into 4 portions, in your mind. Also, creatively visualize dividing the eggplant and remaining cheeses into 3 portions. These are the numbers of layers in the eggplant parmesan.
• In a casserole pan large enough for all these ingredients, cover the bottom with 1/4 of the tomato sauce.
• Place 1/3rd of the eggplant rings above the sauce. Follow this with 1/3rd of the remaining cheeses and 1/3rd of the remaining sauce. Repeat this step, except on the final step, place the sauce directly on the eggplant, and finish with the remaining 1/3rd of the cheeses.
• Bake the eggplant for about 30 minutes, or until the top is nice and golden brown. Let it sit and rest for about 15 minutes prior to slicing into it.
• Serve!

D.J. DONPASTA'S EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Cut the eggplants into rounds about 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and let sit for an hour in a colander in the sink.
• Meanwhile, make the meatballs: In a medium bowl, mix together the meat, 1 egg, parsley, pecorino, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons water to the bread crumbs. When absorbed, add this to the meatball mixture and combine well. Shape into small (1-inch) meatballs and fry in a skillet with a little oil over medium to medium-high heat until browned all over, about 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Turn off heat and cover to keep warm.
• In a small pan, bring 3 eggs to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit for 8 minutes. Run them under cold water until cool, peel and cut into thin slices.
• In a large deep pot, heat remaining oil. Whisk remaining 3 eggs in a wide, shallow dish and place flour in another wide, shallow dish, for dredging. Pat dry eggplant rounds, briefly dip in egg, then flour, and drop into the hot oil. Fry in batches, until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels.
• To assemble the casserole, spoon about 1 cup of the tomato sauce into a 9-by-13-inch (or 3-quart) baking dish. Layer a third of the eggplant rounds like shingles. Top with a third of the Parmigiano and basil, and half of the mozzarella, sliced egg, meatballs and mortadella. Spoon 1 cup of sauce over that and repeat, layering with another third of the eggplant rounds, then another third of the Parmigiano and basil, and the remainder of the mozzarella, egg and meats. Spoon 1 cup of sauce over that. Finish with a final layer of eggplant rounds; top with remaining sauce, Parmigiano and basil. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve lukewarm.

THE BEST EGGPLANT PARMESAN RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Cut each eggplant into about ½-inch (1-cm) thick round slices.
• Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
• Sprinkle the eggplant with half of the coarse salt. Flip the slices over and sprinkle with the rest of the salt.
• Put another baking sheet on top of the eggplant and place something heavy, like a cast-iron skillet, on the top baking sheet to help release moisture from the eggplant. Let sit for 30 minutes.
• Uncover the eggplant slices and pat dry with paper towels. Brush most of the salt from the eggplant with a paper towel, then transfer to a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, oregano, basil, garlic powder, and pepper. Mix well.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan until it reaches 375°F (190°C).
• Coat each eggplant slice in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess flour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Fry the eggplant in batches until golden brown on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet and pat dry using more paper towels to absorb excess oil.
• Pour about 1 cup (260 g) of marinara sauce into a 2½-quart (2 L) baking dish and spread evenly to cover the bottom of the dish.
• Add about 8 eggplant slices (it's okay if they overlap) and cover with ½ cup (130 g) of marinara. Sprinkle with a third of the fresh basil, then top with about a third of the shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat to make 2 more layers. Finish with the fresh mozzarella cheese and a final sprinkling of Parmesan.
• Bake for 30 minutes, until the mozzarella is bubbling and golden brown.
• Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve garnished with fresh basil.
• Enjoy!

EGGPLANT PARM ONE-POT PASTA

Steps:

• Add the butter to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the breadcrumbs and toast until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in the Dutch oven until hot. Add the garlic, eggplant and onion, season with the salt and cook, stirring, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, pasta, chicken stock, red pepper flakes and basil. Bring to simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove the lid and stir in the Parmesan and mozzarella. Turn off the heat and continue to stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is thick.
• Serve garnished with plenty of toasted breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley and basil.

J DUB'S EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Wash and dry eggplant.
• Leaving skin on, slice eggplant into 1/4 inch slices.
• Place the slices in a large colander in the sink and sprinkle with 2 T of kosher salt (NOT regular salt as it will be too salty).
• Allow the eggplant to sit in the colander for approximately 1 hour to draw out the excess moisture.
• Next, place the eggplant slices on a paper towel.
• Place the paper towel back in the colander and give it a shake to remove the moisture and the excess salt.
• Gently beat the eggs and milk together.
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour and Italian bread crumbs together.
• Dip the eggplant in the egg/milk mixture and then the bread crumbs.
• Set aside on a cookie sheet and repeat this process with the other slices.
• Heat the oil and butter in cast iron skillet.
• Place eggplant slices into olive oil/butter mixture being careful not to crowd and cook for approximately 1 -2 minutes just until browned on one side.
• Using tongs, flip the slices and cook the other side being careful not to burn.
• Drain the cooked slices on a wire rack while you cook the remaining slices.
• Grease a 8 X 11 baking dish and place 1 cup of the marinara in the bottom of the dish.
• Laying in the eggplant slices.
• Top the slices with another 1 cup of the marinara sauce.
• Top the marinara with mozzarella slices and 1/2 of the parmesan cheese.
• Repeat the process again, ending with the cheese.
• Bake the dish in the oven until hot and bubbly, approximately 20-25 minutes.

AUTHENTIC EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• For sauce (Gravy):.
• In a Dutch oven or large size sauce pan, add oil, on medium heat. Add garlic and onions, sauté' until tender. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and wine, if using, and Italian seasoning. Mix well, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 4 - 4 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• For eggplant:.
• In a large size skillet, add olive oil (enough to cover bottom about 1" deep). Heat on medium. Peel eggplant, then slice them into 1/4" round disks. In two small bowls or pie plates, add bread crumbs to one, and eggs and milk to the other, beat egg mixture well. Dip each eggplant disk into egg mixture then into bread crumbs, coat completely. Place gently into hot oil. Fry to a golden brown on both sides, drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the eggplant are breaded and fried to a golden brown. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Assemble:.
• In a 13x9x2 ungreased baking dish, add about 1 to1 ½ cups sauce (gravy) to bottom of pan, spread sauce (gravy) evenly in baking dish.
• Cover sauce (gravy) with one even layer of breaded eggplant, spread 1 cup mozzarella cheese evenly over eggplant, sprinkle with 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat two more times, ending with parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Let set for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into 8 pieces. Serve hot.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN PASTA

Steps:

• In a high-sided large (12-inch) skillet with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add panko, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Set a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Wipe out the skillet and heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add eggplant and drizzle over the remaining ¼ cup oil. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is softened, about 8 minutes. Add in tomato paste and stir constantly until lightly caramelized on the bottom of the skillet, about 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, basil sprig, oregano and 1½ cups of water, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
• Cover the skillet and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally and smashing some of the eggplant, until the eggplant is very tender and the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Discard the basil sprig.
• Meanwhile, in the large pot of water, cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain.
• Add cooked pasta, reserved pasta water and the eggplant sauce to the large pasta cooking pot, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until sauce thickens and coats the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup of the chopped basil.
• Add Parmesan to the panko and mix well. Divide the pasta in bowls and top each with some of the mozzarella. Sprinkle over cheesy bread crumbs, and garnish with the remaining basil.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Marinara Sauce: Trim root ends of the garlic cloves, then smash with the flat side of a knife. Peel off skins and set aside. In a 4-quart Dutch oven over high heat, add oil, followed by garlic. When the garlic begins to sizzle, add a pinch of salt. Stir and toast the garlic until deep golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Add red pepper flakes (optional, for heat), reduce temperature to low, and add tomatoes. Increase heat to medium, add two pinches of salt and two pinches of sugar, and bring sauce to a simmer, 10-12 minutes. When simmering, taste and adjust for seasoning. Turn off heat.In a large bowl, add two large sprigs of basil, then pour the sauce over the basil. Set aside to steep while preparing the eggplant. (Makes 2 quarts. Once cool, remove and discard basil; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4-5 days or in the freezer up to 3 months.)
• Breading Mixture: In a large bowl, add seasoned breadcrumbs, oregano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino, and a big pinch of salt. Stir to mix well and set aside. In another large bowl, whisk eggs; season with a generous amount of black pepper and a few pinches of salt. Add flour to a large bowl.
• Prepare eggplant: Use a vegetable peeler to peel the eggplant; discard peel. Cut away the stem ends and discard. Use a mandoline to slice eggplant lengthwise into ⅛-inch thick slices; for safety, make the last few slices with a chef's knife.
• Arrange bowls side by side for dredging: flour, eggs, and breading mixture. First dredge each eggplant slice in flour, shaking off excess. Then coat with the beaten egg, followed by the breading mixture. Set breaded eggplant on a rack fitted over a baking sheet until ready to fry.
• Fry eggplant cutlets: In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add ⅓ cup oil. (Adjust amount as needed to have about ¼ inch of oil in the pan.) Test the oil's temperature by adding a few drops of water: if the water sizzles right away, the oil is ready for frying. Gently lay the eggplant into the oil facing away from you to avoid getting splattered. Let fry undisturbed, about 2 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain the temperature.Once the first side of the eggplant is golden brown, use tongs to gently flip (facing away from you again) and fry the other side until golden brown and delicious-or "GBD," as Chef Tacinelli puts it- about 1 more minute. As they finish frying, arrange eggplant cutlets in an even layer to drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. (Once the sheet pan is full, cover with more paper towels and place freshly fried eggplant on top.) Fry remaining eggplant, adding more oil as needed and keeping the temperature steady.
• Assembly: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove basil and garlic cloves from tomato sauce and discard. In another bowl, combine the Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino cheeses.Spread 1 cup sauce across the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange eggplant cutlets in a single even layer, tearing some into smaller pieces as necessary to fill the gaps. Press the eggplant layer gently into the sauce. (Do this each time you add an eggplant layer.) Next, spread ⅓ cup sauce over the eggplant, followed by ¼ cup Parmigiano-Pecorino mixture. In even layers, add eggplant, ⅓ cup sauce, ¼ cup Parmigiano-Pecorino, ¾ cup mozzarella, and half of the basil leaves. Then add another layer of eggplant, sauce, and Parmigiano-Pecorino. Finally, layer the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmigiano-Pecorino, basil, and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake, 45 minutes. (Here are the layers once more, from the bottom up: 1 C sauce, eggplant, ⅓ C sauce, ¼ C Parmigiano-Pecorino, eggplant, ⅓ C sauce, ¼ C Parmigiano-Pecorino, ¾ C mozzarella, half the basil leaves, eggplant, ⅓ C sauce, ¼ C Parmigiano-Pecorino, remaining eggplant, ⅓ C sauce, ¼ C Parmigiano-Pecorino, remaining basil, ¾ C mozzarella.)
• After 45 minutes, remove Eggplant Parmesan from oven and remove foil. Bake another 10 minutes, uncovered, until golden brown and bubbly. Let rest 20-30 minutes, then cut into squares with a chef's knife and plate with a spatula. Chef Tacinelli likes to add a ladle of hot marinara just before serving.

DIANNE'S EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Peel and thinly slice the eggplant lengthwise. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Place a colander in a shallow pan. Place the eggplant slices in the colander and place a similar size and shaped bowl on top of the slices to press. Allow the slices to drain for 45 to 60 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the meat until no longer pink (drain fat). Add the onion, bell pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper; stir and continue to cook until the onion and pepper are tender. Add the spaghetti sauce and brown sugar. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread about 1/2 of the meat sauce on the bottom of the dish. Layer eggplant slices on top of the sauce and sprinkle with both cheeses. Repeat until all the sauce and eggplant have been used, ending with a layer of sauce. Sprinkle the top layer generously with the remaining cheese. Loosely cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 to 12 minutes longer, or until the cheese is golden brown.

DAVE'S EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Slice the peeled eggplant. Mix the beaten eggs and milk in a bowl. Dip the eggplant in the egg wash and then coat the slices with breadcrumbs. Fry slices in olive oil until brown. Drain and set aside. In a separate pan or Dutch oven, brown garlic in a small amount of olive oil. Crumble Italian sausage into garlic and brown. Add onion. When onions are translucent, add spaghetti sauce, mushrooms, and basil. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes. In a 12-inch or 12-inch deep Dutch oven, make layers using about 1/3 of the sauce, then 1/3 of the eggplant slices, then 1/3 of the grated cheese. Continue the layers two more times. Cover and bake for about an hour using 6-8 briquets under the oven and 18-20 briquets on the lid.