Pearson here!
This must be good luck!
It’s Verasion at Colter’s Creek. Verasion is that time when the grapes begin to ripen; the red varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot begin to turn from green to red, a natural signal for the birds to come have a meal. It is a fabulous time of year (but also the time to put up the bird netting….uugh). The garlic is curing in the cellar, onions are ready, the first ripe tomatoes are hanging on the vine, there is copious eggplant to harvest, and Praying Mantis are now all over the vineyard. In my world, that means eggplant parmigiana. If you have only had bad experiences with this fine Italian dish at restaraunts, then read on, head to the store (or preferably your garden) for ingredients, and let’s change your mind.
Home Grown Garlic
I’ll first add my gardening 2 cents here. Plant the Japanese eggplant varieties. They are slender, not as watery or mushy, and in general much better than the huge globe type eggplants found at all grocery stores. They are beautiful plants that work well in containers if you don’t have garden space. They have nice foliage and beautiful purple flowers before the showy fruit develops. Three plants keeps me in great supply for 6 weeks beginning in late July.
Eggplant and Tomatoes from the garden.
Also, use the real stuff when it comes to Parmigiano Reggiano. Get a hunk at Costco. It keeps for months in the fridge wrapped in foil. Grate it as finely as possible. I use a Microplane zester/grater, but a light grating on most cheese graters will suffice. The finer you grate it, the better it tastes and the less you use. Trust me. Parmigiano Reggiano comes from the Parma province of the Emilia Romagna region in Italy. The same region that Proscuitto comes from. In fact, the pigs that give us their legs that are cured into proscuitto, eat whey from the manufacture of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Here’s the scoop on eggplant parmigiana. If you have the big eggplant, follow the entire recipe. If you have Japanese eggplant, use 5-8 eggplant depending on size, and skip the salt/dewatering step.
Eggplant Parmigiana
Ingredients:
2 Large Globe eggplants or 5-8 smaller Japanese eggplants
3 eggs
1 C flour
3-4 C grated Parmigiano Reggiano
4-5 cloves garlic
freshly ground pepper
2 C Plain bread crumbs
3 14.5oz cans of chopped tomatoes
3T olive oil
2 medium onions
1/2 c chopped basil (optional)
Take 2 large globe eggplant and cut into 1/2 inch cross sections, discarding the ends. Place in a colander and sprinkle in 2 T of kosher salt and toss to coat well. Let stand 1 hour and drain. You should get a few tablespoons of liquid. Pat dry with a paper towel.
In the meantime, chop 4-5 cloves of garlic (or more if you’re like me), and 2 medium onions and saute over medium heat in 3 T olive oil until nice and tender. Add 3 cans of chopped tomatoes (I like Muir Glen 14.5 oz, but any similar will do), and simmer until the eggplant is ready. Don’t worry, you can’t over cook it, just don’t let it burn. Pour it into a blender, and puree it until it’s smooth.
Heat the oven to 425F. Put 1 cup of flour in a large bowl and add a bunch of freshly ground pepper. Add as much as you think you will like. I like a lot. I usually stop when my wrist gets tired from grinding. Add the eggplant and toss to coat.
Beat 3 eggs with a fork in a separate bowl until they are pretty consistent.
Put 2 cups of plain breadcrumbs in a final bowl.
Now, dip the eggplant into the egg mixture, then into the breadcrumbs, and place onto a cookie sheet. Put the cookie sheet into the oven for 15 minutes, then turn the eggplant and cook for another 10 minutes or so until nice and golden.
Get out a big hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano and grate a few cups. Remember, very fine grating.
It’s time for assembly.
In a 13 x 9 baking dish, add some tomato sauce to coat the bottom, then add a layer of eggplant. Add more sauce to coat the eggplant followed by a cup (or more) of grated cheese. Add chopped basil to this layer if you desire. Add another layer of eggplant, sauce, and cheese. Top with a few grindings of pepper, and bake for 15 minutes at 425F. Let it cool a bit before serving. It freezes well, and like a good lasagna, it is better the second or even third day.
Serve with a salad. This dish pairs nicely with Colter’s Creek Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec, or Chardonnay.
Cheers!
Eggplant Parmigiana
Tweet This Post
