Better than Mom's: Eggplant Parmesan

      Believe it or not, I'm not actually a vegetarian- I love meat. However, If you're trying to make a meal that is tasty without a huge price tag, spicing up veges is a great way to go. Eggplant gets a bad rap, but it's actually a great meat substitute because it is hearty and can be very flavorful if you prepare it correctly. Many people don't like eggplant because they've never had it cooked properly. It is basically a huge sponge, so if you cut it up and fry or saute it in oil (which most people do) it soaks up all the oil and becomes soggy and disgusting. This isn't how eggplant should be... it should be tender, but not soggy or greasy. It's also really good roasted and paired with cheese. But more on that later. The trick to making good eggplant is to know how to avoid turning it into a sponge. If you're deep-frying it, cut up the eggplant and submerge it in an ice-water bath prior to cooking. The eggplant will soak up the water and it will cool off the meat- when you drop it into the hot oil, it will form a crust on the outside and keep the inside from being greasy. If you're roasting it (I tend to do this more, because it's less mess and healthier) or sauteing it, cut up the eggplant, and sprinkle a generous about of salt and allow it to drain in a collander for about 30 minutes (or dab it with a clean towel). The salt draws out some of the liquid from the eggplant and keeps it from being mushy when cooked. If you're roasting, grilling or broiling it, brush it with a tiny bit of olive oil before you pop it in the oven or on the grill- it will absorb it, but a little is ok.
    In addition to the butternut squash, we had a plethora of eggplant this season from the garden. So, I had to come up with some creative uses for it to prevent us from getting bored. First, I roasted it in the oven (as described above), layered it with fresh basil leaves, smoked gouda (smoked mozzarella works well too) and roasted zucchini (you can pop it back in the oven for 10 minutes or so to melt the cheese). My dad made this when I was visiting, and it makes a really delicious side dish. Then I made eggplant baba ghanoush (I'll post my recipe for this later). I even roasted it and added it to a spicy marinara sauce and put it over pasta. Last week, I was feeling kind of uninspired and overloaded with eggplants, so I decided to make some eggplant parmesan. It sounds intimidating, but it was actually surprisingly easy. I used panko instead of the traditional bread crumbs because they are more crisp and you can add any flavoring you like to them (I added some dried basil, oregano and thyme prior to breading). I also had the benefit of having a ton of tomatoes, so I made the marinara myself. I would post the recipe, but I never use one- I just throw stuff into the pot and adjust it based on how it tastes. I'll describe how I made it and I'm sure you can find a good recipe online somewhere. Because I was able to get the eggplant and tomatoes for free, this cost about $5 to make, and it serves 4-6 people (depending on how big of an eggplant you use and how hungry your guests are!). This time of year, eggplants are easy to get and aren't very expensive, even if you have to get them at the grocery store.

Eggplant Parmesan

-1 large eggplant, sliced into ~1/3" rounds
-fine sea salt
-2 large eggs, beaten
-all-purpose flour
-panko (I used 1-2 cups)
-dried oregano
-dried basil
-dried thyme
-grated parmesan cheese
-fresh or dried pasta (preferably linguine or spaghetti), cooked
-marinara sauce

-Place the eggplant in a collander and toss with a generous amount of sea salt (about 1 Tbs) and allow to drain for 30 minutes.
-Mix 1-2 cups of panko with 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano and 1 tsp thyme. Even it you have fresh herbs, dried herbs are easier to use here.
-Set up 3 pie pans (this shape makes it easy for dredging): one with the eggs, one with flour and one with the panko mixture
-After the eggplant it done draining, dredge it in flour, egg and panko (in that order).
-Heat about 1 Tbs of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Make sure the oil is hot before you add the eggplant- sitting in cold oil will make it soggy. I usually put a little water on my (clean) fingers and flick some in the pan. If the oil sizzles when the water hits it, it's good enough.
-Saute the eggplant until golden brown, place on a plate covered with paper towels to drain. You may need to add a little more oil to the pan as you cook. Then, transfer to a baking sheet.

-Sprinkle the tops of the eggplant with parmesan and place in a 375 F oven. Bake until the Parmesan is golden brown, about 15 minutes (you can also top with mozzarella cheese if you like).
-Place a piece or two on top of the pasta with marinara.

Making homemade Marinara
-Peel tomatoes and remove the seeds so that only the meat of the tomato is left. Chop them up and place them in a saucepan or soup pot (depending on how much you're making).
-Bring the pan to a simmer over medium heat and stir occasionally.
-Mince a clove (or two if you're making a large amount) of garlic and saute it in about a Tbs of olive oil until it is golden. Throw the garlic and olive oil into the mix.
-Chop up a small handful of fresh basil and toss it in the pot. At this point, I add 1 tsp- 1 Tbs of sea salt and some dried oregano, thyme and basil (yes, I use both dried and fresh basil if it's available).
-Continue to simmer ~1 hour, stirring occasionally. Use an immersion blender or food processor to break up the tomato chunks and make the texture more like a typical marinara sauce. If you want the sauce to be chunky, process it less.
-Continue to simmer until it reaches the desired texture. I usually simmer about 2 hours.
-If you don't like the taste of the sauce, usually it needs to simmer longer or needs more salt.
-Saving for later: If you're not planning on using the sauce right away, you can freeze it or can it (as I have). To can it, fill a sterilized, pint Mason jar with sauce, add one Tbs of lemon juice and replace the the lid. Boil in a hot water bath for 30 minutes. Allow to cool at room temperature on a clean dishcloth before storing.