Since I made the ricotta night before last, I've been dreaming of making Eggplant Parmigiana using my own garden grown eggplants and herbs, my homemade ricotta and my own roasted tomato sauce...(Move over Martha....!)
Yesterday was a sort of complicated day, and it wasn't until this afternoon that I could spend a little bit of time in the kitchen.
My version of this dish is just a little bit different than most in that I like to dip the eggplant slices in beaten eggs and then in seasoned panko before frying. I use a mixture of ricotta and sour cream for 'creaminess' and a mixture of good olive oil and vegetable oil for the frying.
Eggplant Parmigiana
Eggplants - sliced about 1/4 inch thick
Eggs - beaten
Panko - seasoned to taste
Ricotta
Sour cream
Herbs - chopped
Eggs - beaten
Seasonings - to taste
Roasted tomato sauce - click on link
Parmesan cheese - grated
Mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil to fry the eggplant slices
Slice the eggplants about 1/4 inch thick. You may peel or not, depends on your own taste. I leave them on. Dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg, then in the seasoned pank. Fry at medium-high until golden. Drain.
Mix ricotta, sour cream, chopped herbs (I used basil and fresh oregano), eggs (I used the leftover beaten eggs from dipping the eggplant slices) and seasonings together.
Start layering fried eggplant slices on a baking dish or gratin pans. Spread with some of the cheese mixture, then a thin layer of the tomato sauce, sprinkle with Parmigiano (I had a chunk of Parmigiano-Romano which I grated). Repeat layers as needed.
If using gratin pans, you might be able to do only one layer. My deep-sided glass baking dish let me do three layers - I started with 3 small eggplants and 1 pound of the ricotta.
I topped it by sprinkling with the leftover seasoned panko.
Baked at 350 F for about 45 minutes. Let it rest about 10 minutes or so when you take out of oven before spooning or cutting.
The panko gives a nice crunchy texture to the top.
