Baked Eggplant Parmesan over Sauteed Spinach, garnished with parsley
Synopsis: Another full day at culinary school has yielded plenty of tasty treats. Today in particular I heard a lot more food-gasm noises than usual coming from the class, and that’s always a good sign. We had creme anglaise bread pudding, orange-cranberry turkey slices, and zucchini sticks with garlic aioli sauce, not to mention the wonderful sweet treats that came up from the bakeshop and cold foods classes. Keep in mind that all of this was just for us students to eat! (This is one of the wonderful perks of culinary school).
For the customers, my team put out this baked Eggplant Parmesan on the hot line. I have nothing against deep-frying this dish, but today’s pan-fried/baked version came out surprisingly well. And if you’re careful with the amount of cheese you top it with, this could actually be a very health-conscious dish. (I, on the other hand, will probably put on more parmesan next time. And some mozzarella. And possibly some smoked provolone. Oooooh, melty goodness.)
Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan
- Eggplant, peeled and sliced lengthwise
- Flour
- Egg wash (scrambled raw eggs)
- Cracker meal (or bread crumbs)
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Basil
- Terragon
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato sauce (seasoned as you like it, preferably thick)
- Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
First, chop up the herbs and mix them into the bread crumbs. Then bread the eggplant (breading anything else is pretty much the same exact process). Dredge an eggplant slice in flour until covered on all sides. Now dip it into the egg and make sure not to leave any dry flour spots. Next, press it into the bread crumbs to coat well on all sides. Repeat with all the other slices. When you’re done, get a frying pan nice and hot with some oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan). Fry the eggplant until it gets that nice golden brown color and crisp coating on either side. When you’re done with all the eggplant, arrange them on a sheet pan and top them with a small pile of diced tomatoes. Then pour some thick tomato sauce over the top of each slice, and finish with a generous sprinkling of parmesan. Now put them in the oven at 350 until the cheese is all melty, brown, and delicious. That’s it! As always, if you try out this recipe, or think you can beat it, let me know either by email or in the comments. And feel free to shoot any questions my way. Bon Appetit!