The Cookbook Junkie: Fresh From the Garden featuring Eggplant Parmigiana

By Gini Rainey

Oh, my goodness! Do you have any idea what a great thing it is to have a very good friend who has a vegetable garden in her backyard? My friend Tena got bit by the gardening bug a couple of summers ago and the side benefits of her new passion is she is most generous with a lot of her amazing fresh produce. Her garden has grown from a few pots on her porch to several raised beds and lots of trellises in her backyard. When everything is growing like crazy, Tena’s garden is a sight to behold!

Just recently she brought us eggplant! The most I ever attempted when we had a garden was tomatoes and peppers! So, there I was with two absolutely beautiful eggplants, trying to decide what to make with them. Growing up, we were always a benefactor of lots of fresh produce from my Uncle’s truck farm during the summer, among which was usually quite a few eggplant.

To be quite honest, I wasn’t a big fan of how my mom would cook them. She would slice them, soak the slices in salt water for an hour or two and then dip them in an egg wash, cracker crumbs, and fry them up. I knew I could do that, but if I hadn’t like it, I was pretty sure my husband wouldn’t either. But one thing we are a fan of is chicken parmigiana, so my logical conclusion was to make eggplant parmigiana.

As much as I hate to admit this, considering the size of my library, the best and easiest recipe I found was in the same cookbook I referenced in my last blog entry, Sophia Loren’s Recipes & Memories. There is also a good recipe in Tony Danza’s Don’t Fill Up On the Antipasto, published in 2008, with his grandmother’s recipe that begins with a back-story. But I personally like the one I used.

The recipe, Melanzane alla Parmigiana, begins with 4 pounds of eggplant (probably 2 large ones would work). Peel and slice the eggplant into ½ inch slices, layer on a large plate and salt each layer. Then, place another plate the same size on top of the pile of eggplant along with a heavy weight (I used my cast iron frying pan) and set aside to drain for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, brown two cloves of minced garlic in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When lightly browned, add a 1-pound can of crushed tomatoes and a few basil leaves (I used a tsp of dry, crushed basil) and cook until the sauce is thick. Then salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the weight from the eggplant, rinse the slices, and pat dry. In a generous amount of olive oil over high heat, brown the eggplant slices on both sides and drain on a paper towel. Using an oven-proof glass chafing dish, arrange the eggplant slices, generously cover them with grated parmesan and mozzarella, followed by a bit of sauce over the cheese. Continue layering the ingredients until all used up, ending with a layer of sauce on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (I went 30) to heat through and melt the cheese.

To serve, cut the parmigiana into squares. I prepared a side of linguini in a garlic/butter sauce along with garlic butter toast. I’m telling you, it melted in my mouth! It was most delicious! Enjoy!