10953 Eggplant Parmesan 1 hr 1 hr 4 to 6 servings Tue Jun 30 10:52:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 16:42:16 -0700 2009 Easy Italian CHOW http://www.chow.com/recipes/10953 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:42:16 GMT Caprese salad meets crispy fried eggplant Caprese salad meets crispy fried eggplant. The southern Italian region of Campania is known for its exceptional buffalo milk mozzarella and the many recipes it inspires, such as melanzane alla parmigiana, or eggplant Parmesan. In our version, we bread the eggplant in panko for extra crunch, then arrange it over a bed of our Basic Tomato Sauce and layer it with fresh basil leaves and mozzarella.

What to buy: Panko is coarse Japanese-style breadcrumbs, available in many grocery stores.

We used Japanese eggplant in this recipe because of its thin skin and sweet, delicate flavor. If this or any other smaller eggplant isn’t available, the more common globe eggplant will work; just be sure to then use a larger baking dish.

Game plan: Because of the variation in eggplant size, you may have to adjust the number of slices to fill the dish. The key is to have the same number of eggplant slices as mozzarella slices and basil leaves. When choosing your eggplants, shoot for about a pound total. That should be plenty for four people.

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  • Position a rack in middle of the oven and heat the broiler to low. Place eggplant slices in a colander set in the sink or over a bowl, sprinkle generously with salt, toss to combine, and set aside to drain.
  • Place flour in a wide, shallow dish and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Combine eggs and milk in another shallow dish and set aside; mix panko and cheese together in a third shallow dish.
  • Remove eggplant slices from the colander and pat dry with paper towels. Bread eggplant by coating a few slices in the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour, dip into the egg mixture, and press into the panko mixture; be sure to coat the slices thoroughly at each step. Set the breaded eggplant on a baking sheet and repeat with remaining slices.
  • Line another baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. Fill a large, straight-sided skillet or frying pan with 1 inch of the olive oil. Warm over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°F on a deep-fat thermometer (the oil should be shimmering but not smoking). Add about 1/3 of the eggplant slices and fry on one side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip and fry the other side for another 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining eggplant.
  • Pour the warmed tomato sauce over the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Shingle one eggplant slice, one basil leaf, and one mozzarella slice over the tomato sauce, repeating until all ingredients are arranged in the baking dish.
  • Place in the oven and broil until cheese is melted, bubbly, and speckled with gold, about 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately with extra tomato sauce on the side.

    • Beverage pairing: Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo, Italy. Greco di Tufo is a grape found in southern Italy, and it produces wines that remarkably seem to be both rich and lean. In this case the roundness and medium body of the wine will seem proportionate with the eggplant and cheese, while its acidity and minerality will be a refreshing contrast.

    ]]>     http://www.chow.com/assets/2007/06/eggplantparmesan_290.jpg Kate Ramos 50 Main 24 (1/2-inch-thick) slices Japanese eggplant (from about 2 medium eggplants)**

    ]]>     1 cup all-purpose flour

    ]]>     2 large eggs, beaten

    ]]>     1/2 cup whole milk

    ]]>     1 1/2 cups panko

    ]]>     1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

    ]]>     Olive oil, for frying

    ]]>     1 1/2 cups warm Basic Tomato Sauce, plus more for serving**

    ]]>     67 24 medium whole basil leaves

    ]]>     24 (1/4-inch-thick) slices fresh mozzarella (about 8 ounces total)

    ]]>     172 mozzarella 435 vegetarian 1046 cold weather 580 italian 5931 kate ramos 1021 comfort 1031 cozy 686 creamy 940 fried 256 cheese 418 dairy 1047 warming 1 chow 942 crispy 742 crunchy 769 crowd pleaser 757 lunch 392 side dish 1619 omnivore