EGGPLANT PARMA-PARADISE
~Recipe by Sheila Garcia (of LifeAsSheDoesIt.com)
Photo Credit HERE
Look, I know some of you have an eggplant Parmesan recipe you swear by; whether it’s your own or your mama’s or your noni’s or a coveted recipe passed down for generations. But I’m here to tell you that this recipe is THE ONE -the holy grail of eggplant Parmesan – the GOLDEN TICKET TO EGGPLANT PARMESAN PARADISE. For real, People. FOR REAL. This was fresh, organic eggplant picked on our Annual Fall Family Day. And it will be forever the annual eggplant Parmesan recipe from here on out!!
EGGPLANT PARMESAN
3-small-to-medium-sized eggplant
grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch pepper
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp cumin
4 eggs
splash of water
canola oil
shredded pizza cheese or mozzarella
1-48 oz can diced tomatoes, drained and split in two
1 can rotel, drained
Italian seasoning
1 bunch thyme
6 cloves roasted garlic, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
Wash and dry your eggplant, and cut it into slices about 1-inch thick. In a bowl, take your eggs and whisk them like crazy. Add a splash of water, a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of pepper and whisk again. In another bowl, pour about two cups of grated Parmesan, and add your sea salt, pepper, and cumin and mix with a fork. In a heavy pan (I use my cast-iron, of course!), pour about an inch of canola oil and heat on medium. The oil is ready when you can put a tiny sprinkle of water in it and it sizzles. Take a slice of eggplant, dip it in the egg-mix and then the Parmesan mix. Put it in the hot oil and let cook about a minute-and-a-half on each side (until crust is hard). Do not put more than four slices at a time so that they don’t steam but get good and crunchy. Place each one on a drying or cooling rack and continue to cook until all slices are done.
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In the same pan the eggplant was cooked in and on medium heat, place the thyme, roasted garlic, and onion and saute for about three minutes (see notes). Remove from heat, take out the thyme sprig and discard, and set aside the onion and garlic. In a prepared baking dish, layer your cooked slices of eggplant, breaking apart a few to fit and cover the entire bottom of the dish. Your next layer is the first half of the drained diced tomatoes. Cover the tomato layer with your cheese and sprinkle Italian seasoning generously over the cheese. Next, layer half the onion and garlic mix over the Italian seasoning and cheese. Repeat layers, starting with eggplant and ending with the second half of the onion and garlic mixture, but in place of the tomatoes, layer the rotel. Repeat for the last (third) layer, using eggplant, second-half of the diced tomatoes, and a heavy layer of cheese with a sprinkle of the Italian seasoning. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let rest for five minutes. Eat it up – I will feel your love from afar!!
NOTES: I had some leftover roasted garlic from the meal the night before. You can either roast it yourself, buy it already roasted, or simply use regular garlic. I use organic ingredients whenever possible for clean eating, and in this case, I believe it helped the eggplant flavor! This is FANTASTIC for Meatless Monday AND it is low-carb, though it is so rich it sure doesn’t taste like it!