Eggplant Parmesan-melanzane alla parmigiana

Another of my grandmother's recipes. As a child, this was one of my favorites. It has become a staple in my home as the kids & hubby would eat this once a week, if I let them. As with all Italian cuisine, there are regional variations....

Like most traditional recipes, this should be made ahead of time, even the day before, as it adds to the flavor!

I make a variation of this dish by substituting zucchini for the eggplant.

TIPS:
Preparation: Eggplants are a summer vegetable, one I usually purchase at the local farmer's market. In winter I must purchase them in supermarkets & they tend to be a bit bitter. In which case, before frying I salt the eggplant to get the bitterness out. Simply slice the eggplant as thinly as possible, place in a collander & cover with salt. Preferably weight it down. Leave to sit for at least 1/2 an hour. The slices will seep water out, so throw that away & pat them dry. By salting them, the eggplants will also soak up less oil.

Frying: Select a heavy pan with at least a few inches up the sides. Pour in a generous amount of oil as you should never add to it while frying. The oil should be HOT, kept at a steady temperature trhoughout. Do not add ingredients until the boil in the oil. Do not over fill the pan, leave a reasonable amount of space among the food slices. By following these simple steps, the food will soak up less oil & will cook more quickly.

3 large eggplants
16 oz fresh or prepared tomato sauce
1 fresh mozzarella
1 garlic clove
fresh grated parmesan cheese (non of that freeze dried sawdust!)
olive oil
oil for frying
salt & pepper

Prepare eggplant. Even if not salting, pat it dry & set aside.

Preheat oven to medium temperature.

Heat oil in large frying pan.
Add as many slices of eggplant as possible.
Fry until golden, then scoop them out with as ittle oil as possible. Set aside on a plate covered in papertowels to soak up extra oil.

Meanwhile, heat a few tsps of olive oil in a pot.
Add a whole clove of garlic.
Add tomato sauce (a basil leaf if available).
Let simmer while frying eggplant.

Cut up the mozzarella in cubes. Set aside.

Layer the eggplant slices on the bottom of a pyrex or ceramic oven dish.
Thinly cover with tomato sauce, then mozzarella, sprinkle with parmesan, salt & pepper.
Repeat layering until all ingredients are used up.
Sprinkle extra parmesan on the final layer.
Bake in oven until crisped, about 40 minutes.

I usually serve this with spaghetti, using the sauce from the eggplant on the pasta but eating the dish seperately.