He enlisted my help in breading and frying the eggplant, which came out a nice, golden-brown color. They looked so good it was hard not to just start dipping the slices into the rich tomato sauce he'd made.
We had a ton of eggplant so we filled one casserole dish with a layer of tomato sauce and eggplant topped with grated Pecorino and shredded mozzarella. It came out of the oven all bubbly and brown around the edges:
... and was so good we ate the whole thing for dinner last night. The rest of the eggplant and sauce went into another casserole dish, this time layered like a lasagna with sauce, eggplant, cheese, sauce, eggplant, cheese. We'll have that for dinner Monday night.
Believe it or not, I've never had eggplant before! I don't know why - it might be because of appearances - it looks a little scary to me. I've heard it's great when fried and breaded, so maybe one day I will gather the courage to try it!
ReplyDeleteKatie @ A Byootaful Life
Katie - Never had eggplant?? You are really missing out, lady! It's really tasty. :)
ReplyDeleteI despise it myself but damn that looks good! Fried things always seem to pique my interest. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorites but I've never made it at home. It looks really good.
ReplyDeleteC - Fried food is good food. :)
ReplyDeleteJessy - It's really easy to make, but time consuming. We actually wanted to do rollatini instead but that's even more labor-intensive. But the payoff is amazing.
I think I had eggplant once when I was young, and didn't love it or hate it. I need to try it again cause good grief, my jaw dropped when I saw the plate of fried pieces. those look so, so good.
ReplyDeleteThis looks good. You're making me hungry!
ReplyDeleteMelissa - You should definitely give it another try. It's really yummy! :) And I tell myself I'm eating a vegetable when I make it this way...helps me feel better about the fried aspect of it all.
ReplyDeleteLeica - :)
Those fried eggplant slices look heavenly! We always have eggplant parm for Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThat looks FANtastic! I love eggplant but have never had eggplant parmigiana before... I see I am really missing out! - tfp
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have ever had breaded and fried eggplant before, although I have had eggplant a myriad of other wise (not-breaded but fried, as an example). I have a really stellar recipe for eggplant and zucchini lasagne from a cookbook I found in Denmark, but as the cookbook is British the recipe is actually for "aubergine and courgette lasagna" which sounds, don't you think, a hell of a lot more appetizing???
ReplyDeleteDani - Thank you! That sounds like a great Christmas treat. :)
ReplyDeleteTFP - You have to try eggplant parm! It is so good. If you like eggplant you should also try rollatini. I really need to make that for the blog. SO amazing!
Zoot - Hi! Oh man...I love the Brits. All those great names like aubergine and courgette. Definitely more appetizing (and more sophisticated) then eggplant and zucchini.
I don't skin my eggplant when i cook it. Plus i prefer flavored breadcrumbs like Vigo that has cheese in it. Fried in olive oil, the skin gets tender as well. It's like having your meat substitute and is so good for you. Parm cooked that way is awesome also! Loved it as a kid, and as an old dude, I love it now!!!
ReplyDelete