Eggplant Parmesan, Redux
October 21st, 2009 Posted in Dishes
Couldn’t resist some gorgeous rosa bianca eggplants I saw at the farmers’ market the other day. My standard eggplant dish sautes chunks of eggplant with ginger, fish sauce, and mint, but I was thinking something more casserole-ish for our little rain spell.
I ate quite a bit of bad eggplant parmesan as a kid. Remember the red-soaked supergooey version? Is there any other? There has to be! And if not, well, let’s make one.
The basic idea behind eggplant parm is to first salt some sliced eggplant to draw out excess moisture, then fry them in batches, then layer them into a baking dish along with layers of parm, and tomato sauce. It seemed like it would take too long to fry the slices in batches, so I just loaded up two baking sheets with silpats, rubbed the eggplant with olive oil, and dusted them with a combo of shiitake dust (pulverized dried shiitake) and flour, and baked in a hot oven until they browned a bit, about 15 minutes per side.
While they cooked, I made a quick sauce with about six cups of chopped fresh tomatoes and garlic confit and reduced it to about a third its original volume. Also had on hand plenty of fresh oregano from the garden, green onions, and two beautiful persimmons, my first of the season! So when the eggplant was done, I got out the Chamba and layered as follows:
- layer of sauce
- eggplant
- parm
- thinly sliced raw zucchini
- green onions
- eggplant
- oregano
- persimmon wheels
- sauce
- parm
- eggplant
- fresh tomato on top
- parm
Nothing red and gloppy about it! It bursts with umami. Topped with lavender salt and plenty of black pepper. The rosa bianca eggplants are really nice — they’re creamy, and have far fewer seeds than the standard eggplant. Ask the farmer to show you how to identify male and female eggplants — you want the males, because they have fewer seeds. I got a lesson, but she was pretty unclear about it. Does anyone know how to definitively do it? And: any other favorite eggplant dishes? We’re late in the season, I know, but I’m eating as many as I can before it shuts down altogether!
6 Responses to “Eggplant Parmesan, Redux”
By
dick on Oct 21, 2009
That sounds fantastic.
By
Trisha on Oct 21, 2009
This must really brighten up a rainy day. I'll try persimmon with mine – I like that idea.
Sorry I can't help you with the identification of eggplant gender… I've actually never heard of it! Is there such a thing!?
By
Dorli on Nov 7, 2009
Sounds like a great recipe…have to try it. I love eggplant…came up with this recipe that combined ideas from various Middle Eastern cookbooks. See if you like it. Eggplant with Pomegranate Molasses
3tbsp. Olive oil
1 large globe eggplant, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 chopped onion
8 chopped cloves of garlic
1 tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. whole coriander seeds
½ tsp. hot paprika (or more to taste)
2 tsp. chopped green coriander
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 tbsp. Pomegranate molasses
½ c. chopped walnuts
Salt, pepper to taste
Saute onions in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and spices, salt and pepper to taste, sautee for two minutes. Add eggplant cubes, sauté until slightly browned. Add tomatoes, coriander, pomegranate molasses, bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes (check occasionally and add water as needed so it won’t burn). Add chopped walnuts at end. Serve hot or at room temperature with pita bread or over sautéed fish, or chicken.
By
breakawaycook on Nov 9, 2009
Thanks for typing that out, Dorli — I'm always looking for more ways to use eggplant AND pom molasses, so this looks like a winner!
By
Trisha on Nov 10, 2009
Came back to say I tried this yesterday, having some persimmon lying around in my kitchen…! Superb. I liked the color the persimmons added as well.
I remember seeing another idea with persimmons here… gotta go look for it. Thanks Eric, you're giving me lots of inspiration.
By
breakawaycook on Nov 10, 2009
You're welcome, Trisha! Just type "persimmon" in the search box above my photo and you'll see lots of stuff.