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.

Moussaka

This recipe comes from a friend's Greek grandmother. Everyone loves it at home (even my youngest, who is in an anti-eggplant phase), it's an often requested dish. Like most Mediterranean food, this is best made before hand: usually I make it in the morning for that evening's dinner. I go heavy on the eggplant & lighter on the meat, so adjust to taste.

3 medium eggplants
2 medium onions
1/2 lb ground beef or lamb
12 oz can tomato paste
4 cups milk
4 tbsp butter
8 tbsps flour or 4 tbsps corn starch
Salt & pepper
Nutmeg
Oil for frying.

If cooking right away preheat oven to a medium temperature. You can cook it until the white sauce sets, then reheat it 15 minutes before serving.

Slice the onions in half, then in thin slices. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and sauté. Add ground meat. When the meat is browned, add the tomato paste, adding 1/2 can of water as needed. Salt & pepper, leave to simmer until thick. Take off flame & leave aside to cool.
Slice eggplant in 1/4 inch rounds. Fry in oil until golden, set aside in layers of paper towel to soak up the grease.
Heat the milk until nearly boiling.
Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pan.
Add flour or cornstarch while whisking. If it thickens too quickly, start to slowly add the heated milk.
Continue until the bechamel is nice & thick, stirring continually with a whisk. Add salt & a pinch of nutmeg. Set aside to cool.
Line a pyrex or porcelain casserole dish tightly with the eggplant. Salt lighty.
Pour on the meat sauce.
Add bechamel.
Either precook or leave aside until dinner.
Baking time is about 30 minutes, until the bechamel has browned; 15 minutes for reheating.

Babaganoush-Eggplant spread

This is one of our favorites, great for a buffet style dinner or as an appetizer. Here in France we like to have "apéritif" or drinks & munchies before a meal: dips & spreads are very much appreciated!

*Tahini is a sesame sauce easily found in Middle Eastern stores. I prefer to add it, but the recipe is good without!

2 medium eggplants
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic
6 tbsps olive oil
6 tbsps tahini*
3 tsps ground cumin

Optional: fresh coriander or parsely

Preheat oven to max or use grill function
Pierce the eggplant with a fork or knife. DO NOT REMOVE THE SKIN!
Bake or grill directly in the oven (you can line the bottom with foil if afraid of dripping), turning the eggplant when one side is blackened.
Remove from oven, let cool enough to peel of the skin (just like peeling potatoes).
Either crush the baked eggplant with a fork or put in blender (I have just a hand blender which works great).
Add other ingredients & mix to preferred consistency (I like it chunky but for kids who won't eat eggplant if they see it, puree the stuff!)
Serve with some dribbled olive oil, sprinkled cumin seeds or paprika, chopped coriander or parsely.... & lots of pita bread!