Deep Dish Eggplant Parmigiana Recipes

Steps:

• Trim some of the skin off the sides of the eggplants then cut them into thin planks lengthwise about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Salt the eggplant and layer with kitchen towels. Weight and drain the eggplant for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat a shallow layer of oil in a 12- to 14-inch skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant 2-3 minutes one each side until light golden. Drain on paper towels. Place a layer of sauce in a casserole dish. Top with 1/3 of the eggplant, a few spoonful's of sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella and the parmesan, and a few leaves of torn basil. Repeat 2 more times. Bake eggplant 35-40 minutes until top is brown and bubbly. Top with minced parsley and serve. Pomodoro Sauce: For the sauce, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then and add onions and garlic. Season with salt and cook partially covered until very soft. Add stock then tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Stir in basil, reduce heat and simmer sauce gently 20-30 minutes, partially covered, stirring occasionally. Adjust salt to taste. Tip: For a thinner sauce or to stretch the yield, add 2 cups tomato passata or purée.

Steps:

• Arrange the eggplant slices on several baking sheets and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt. Set aside to let the bitter juices weep from the eggplant, about 1 hour.
• Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, and season with pepper.
• Place the flour in a medium lipped plate or bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
• In a large straight-sided skillet, pour the oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until it registers 400 degrees F on a deep frying thermometer. (The oil must be heated to 400 degrees F. so that the breaded eggplant, when added, will drop the temperature of the oil to the proper frying temperature of 375 degrees F.)
• Working in small batches, fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 15 x 10- x 2-inch-baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/3 of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another 1/3 of the sauce. Scatter half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use immediately, store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Yield: about 3 1/2 cups
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