Mark Bittman's Fast Baked Eggplant Parm
I still have plenty of eggplants in the October garden.
I'm not complaining.
Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables, but only if prepared right.
There are very few people who can cook eggplant properly.
My sister-in-law Linda being one of them, and an Italian deli in Maplewood, NJ (DiPietro's) used to, not sure if they still sell it by the pound.
Super thin and crispy is how I love it.
Never mushy or wet.
The seeds burn my husband's tongue and gums, so he is out.
I will have to eat it alone.
I have been known to eat slices of fried eggplant wrapped in wax paper in my car (ask my mother, it's true).
Mark Bittman is so smart.
This recipe is from his new book How to Cook Everything Fast.
Feel free to use any cheese you like, Gruyere would be good.
I used some fresh cubed mozzarella, along with some shredded mozz and cheddar along w/ the Parimigiano.
This took all of 30 minutes from start to finish, and I loved the results.
I almost ate the whole pan for lunch by myself.
Who needs frying and messing up the stove?
Not me.
Bittman's Fast Eggplant Parmesan: (serves 2-4)
1 large purple eggplant, skin on, sliced 1/4" rounds
2 ripe tomatoes (I used my heirlooms, still hanging on), sliced
1/2 cup handful of shredded mozzarella cheese (any cheese is good)
1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup of seasoned dried breadcrumbs
handful of fresh herbs (I used mint and parsley cause I had no basil left in the garden)
Preheat oven to 450F (original recipe has you broil the eggplant, but I would burn it, I need more control, so 450F is better for moi).
Mix the cheeses, herbs and breadcrumbs in a bowl and set aside.
Drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan and heat the pan in the oven.
Carefully remove the pan from the oven and lay the eggplant slices on the pan and sprinkle w/ kosher salt.
Lay the tomato slices on top and sprinkle w/ kosher salt.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and spoon the cheese/crumb mixture over the eggplant tomato stacks.
Bake for another 10-15 minutes until bubbly and brown.
Let rest a few minutes before removing with a fish spatula and plating.
SO EASY and SO GOOD.
Comments
So many people cut it too thick and ruin it, and it's a soggy mess.
My mom used to line up before the holidays at DiPietro's on Springfield Ave before the holidays to buy her basket cheese, mozzarella and sausages.
They moved out of the area in the 90's, and I didn't know they were still in business! Happy to see their name here.
we love our eggplant here,,, and when we pick it fresh from the deck garden it makes it even yummier..
Just used the last ones...
Thanks
Linda
I just added the sentence "mix cheese, breadcrumbs and herbs together and set aside".
Sorry about that!
Thanks!
Stacey
For the seasonings I used garlic salt, fresh basil, parsley, and salt and pepper. I used Panko for the bread crumbs and a mix of parmesan and fresh mozzarella. Next time I think I'll try the shredded mozzarella.
For the seasonings I used fresh basil, dried parsley, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. I used fresh mozzarella rather than shredded because that's what I had, but next time I'll use shredded. Think that will be a bit easier. I used Panko bread crumbs and they were perfect.
Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!