Over the Top Eggplant Parmigiana - Recipe

Over the Top Eggplant Parmigiana

• 3 large or 5 smaller globe eggplant, about 4 pounds total
• Kosher salt
• vegetable oil for pan frying
• 2 cups canned crushed Italian tomatoes (San Marzano preferred)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 3/4 pound fresh mozzarella sliced thin
• 2 handfuls of fresh basil, roughly chopped for assembly plus 1 more for fresh tomato topping
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups diced heirloom tomatoes
• black pepper

1. Peel eggplant and slice lengthwise in scant 1/2 “ thick planks. Layer in a colander with a heavy sprinkling of kosher salt in each layer, top with a plate and weight with some cans, and let drain for at least 30 minutes. Wipe off excess salt with a paper towel.
2. In a small saucepan, make a quick tomato sauce by sautéing the garlic in the olive oil and adding the diced tomatoes, and simmering for 15 minutes while you make the rest of the recipe. Don’t add salt because the eggplant will still have residual salt from the draining process.
3. Set up for dredging, with plates for the flour and breadcrumbs, and a shallow bowl for the egg. Also, get a rack or sheet pan covered with paper towel to receive the fried pieces. Butter a large baking dish and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Put a good ¼ “ of vegetable oil (not olive oil, it will smoke too much) in your biggest skillet and heat on high. Working with two slices of eggplant at a time, pat them in the flour until they have a dry coating, then drag through the egg, and finally press both sides in the breadcrumbs, covering thoroughly. Place them in the skillet, where they should start sizzling immediately. Fill the skillet loosely, leaving yourself some room to work. Flip when brown, maybe 2 minutes, then remove to the paper towels when brown on the other side. They should be tender to a fork at this point, because the oven baking is just to melt the cheese, not cook the eggplant.
5. To assemble, lay down your first layer of eggplant, and top each slice with a couple tablespoons of tomato sauce, a piece of mozzarella, a bit of parmesan, and a bit of basil. Build up three layers, finishing with cheese.
6. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the cheese it thoroughly melted.
7. To serve, toss the heirloom tomatoes with the remaining basil. Put an eggplant stack on each plate, and top with 1/4 cup of the heirloom tomato mixture and a grind of fresh black pepper.