this dish is one of my faves. taken from my uncle's cookbook....
www.soitalian.net
he's an 82 year old retired priest who is now an artist and still takes groups over to italy three or four times a year.
eggplant parmesan
the original sicilian recipe for eggplant parmesan included sliced potatoes and sliced onion, each fried separately and placed in alternate layers with the eggplants. finally, there was a topping of tomato sauce, medallions of mozzarella and basil leaves. (this is just a note about the general dish and not intended to be a part of the recipe)
3 medium eggplants
1 quart of basic tomato sauce
1/2 pound of sliced mozzarella
2 cups grated parmesan
bread crumbs
butter
olive oil for frying (yes, olive oil)
fresh basil
cut the eggplants lengthwise (japanese eggplant) or the other way for the big round eggplants and allow them to drain either laying them out in the sun or by salting and laying them on an inclined surface.
fry the eggplants in olive oil, not so much as to cover the eggplant however. do not drain the eggplant. in an oiled pan, layer the eggplant slices, tomato sauce, mozzarella slices, and parmesan cheese. end with a topping of parmesan, bread crumbs & small pieces of butter.
bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. garnish with fresh basil.
