Easy Eggplant for the Home Cook

Traveling around Town and Country, Manchester, and the other West County patches for  articles, I learned a few things. , and each presented different ingredients and techniques to make a great eggplant parmigiana.

In order to develop the sweet, nutty and complex flavor of eggplant, it needs to be cooked. There are several varieties of eggplant—from the pear-shaped, deep purplelish-black to the lavender colored, long cucumber-shaped variety. Eggplant is a fruit, botanically classified as a berry. The soft seeds in the flesh are edible, but somewhat bitter. As a result, it is important to choose a young eggplant with smooth skin and minimal bruising—the older the eggplant, the more seeds and the more bitter it becomes. The skin of the eggplant is also edible.

There are many recipes that call for salting and rinsing the eggplant. Slices of eggplant are salted and placed in a colander or rack (sometimes weighed down), after about 20 minutes, the eggplant is rinsed and dried. This step is optional, but done to remove some of the bitterness, to soften the flesh and reduce the amount of oil absorbed during cooking.

Candicci's in Ballwin cut its eggplant quite thick, which makes the preparation time shorter, while creating a beautifully presented dish. In addition, cutting the eggplant thicker made it creamier and smoother, with an excellent mouthfeel.

Both Gianfabio's Italian Café and Candicci's refrained from breading the eggplant. Skipping the step of breading and frying shortens the cooking time and eliminates lots of calories, which are not necessary for flavor. Gianfabio's flash fried the eggplant, but the finished product was not oily at all. Both The Pasta House and Gianfabio's had homemade tomato sauce. This presented an opportunity to infuse the dish with flavor using garlic, spices and herbs.

Simplifying the recipe for eggplant allows for the home cook to eat it more often. The texture and savory taste of eggplant is an excellent substitute for meat as well. Eggplant is versatile and can be used in a variety of cuisines from Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Picking a few things I enjoyed from each restaurant, I created a new recipe which is easier to make with less fat. The end product was guiltlessly delicious. If you want to simplify the recipe even further, already prepared tomato sauce and pesto sauce can be found in and in Town and Country and , and in Manchester.

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
3 large eggplants, about 3 pounds
3 cups  (click on link for recipe)
1 pound mozzarella, grated
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs, lightly toasted in the oven
2 cups  (click on link for recipe—use half the recipe)
salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2. Slice each eggplant into pieces about 1/2-inch thick. Using a pastry brush, coat each piece with olive oil. Lightly season each piece with salt and pepper and place on oiled baking sheet in a single layer. Bake the eggplant about 8 to 10 minutes on each side until it turns a deep golden brown, and the flesh is soft. Remove the eggplant from the oven and let cool.
3. In a small roasting pan, place one layer or eggplant over the bottom. Over each slice, spread two table spoons of pesto sauce, then three tablespoons of tomato sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano over the sauce. Then place a second layer of eggplant on top and repeat with pesto and tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmigiano cheeses.
4. Sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs over the top of the eggplant dish and bake uncovered until the cheese is melted and the tops turn light brown, about 20 minutes.