Eggplant Parmigiana

(Check out some other Tasty Tuesday recipes by clicking the chef)

I ordered produce from Bountiful Baskets this week (more on that later here). Since one of the yummy things I got in my basket was an eggplant, I decided to take my favorite Chicken Parmigiana recipe and adapt it.

 

The veggie (well actually, fruit) in question.

 

Sliced, sweated and patted dry.

 

I dipped the slices in buttermilk, then dredged with a mixture of flour, breadcrumbs and salt. The breading didn’t stick as well as I’d like, so I might try egg instead of buttermilk next time.

 

I also got four fresh tomatoes in my basket, so I cut them up…

 

And pulsed a few times until they were the about the same size as the canned crushed tomatoes I was also using. Or thereabouts.

 

 

I love starting sauces with onion and garlic.

 

My special onion goggles. If I don’t wear them when working with onions – oh, the burning!

 

Tasty red wine, it smelled so good.

 

Dumped in all the tomatoes. The crushed tomatoes have tomato puree in them so they are saucier. Which is good, it kept things from getting too thin.

 

Added some sugar, salt and pepper and simmered for 30 minutes. Then I added fresh herbs, also from my basket. Flat-leaf parsley, basil, oregano and rosemary - a great blend.

 

Then I grated some of this. Mmmm.

 

I sprinkled a lot on the slices of eggplant. And then some more.

 

It smelled so good at this point, it was all I could do not to eat it right out of the skillet. It’s good that I found restraint, because I would have burned my tongue. That sauce was hot!

 

And served. On my classy chili pepper plates.

This recipe was absolutely fantastic. I liked the original from PW a lot, but this – this was heaven. It will definitely be my standard marinara sauce in the future. I think the fresh herbs really made a difference.

Try it!

Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant:
1 medium eggplant, sliced
kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp kosher salt
olive oil
Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 half onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz) 
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped 
6 basil leaves, chopped
2 sprigs oregano, chopped
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
1 cup parmesan, grated

Slice eggplant and sprinkle with salt on both sides. Let sit for 30 minutes to sweat, then pat dry with a paper towel. Submerge eggplant in buttermilk, then dredge in mixture of flour, breadcrumbs and salt. Heat 1/2 inch of olive oil in large skillet on medium, then fry eggplant for several minutes on each side, until golden brown. Place eggplant on paper-towel lined plate and set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for several minutes. Pour in red wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add all tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, boil a pot of water and cook linguine until al dente.

Stir chopped herbs into sauce. Carefully lay eggplant slices on surface of sauce, then generously sprinkle with parmesan. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer until cheese is melted. Serve on top of linguine and garnish with extra herbs.