Sunday, July 25, 2010

Gotta love the farmers market

Headed off to the Schenectady Green Market this morning. This is a farmer's market loaded with local produce right out of the field and off the truck. Goal today was eggplant parmesian. On the shopping list eggplant, tomatoes, lettuce and garlic.

My mom is known for her eggplant parm. She makes pans of it for our family reunion and freezes a couple in case she has company. Our friend Patty asked my mom for her eggplant recipe once. It went something like this: Do the eggplant, layer in a pan with sauce and cheese. Bake for 40 minutes.


My EP is nothing like hers. Sorry mom. This is a vegetarian version and could easily be vegan with fake cheese. No offense to my vegan friends but there's no way in hell I'm using fake cheese.

Making this is a project so you need to carve out some time. The recipe is simple, just like the ingrediants. It just takes time. Here's what you need:

2 large eggplants
14 large, ripe tomatoes
1 head of garlic
some basil (I used dried because I only had $14 with me at the market)
half an onion
shredded mozzarella cheese
olive oil
canola oil
12 oz can of tomato paste
bread crumbs
flour
eggs
a couple of big pots
a 9x12 baking dish
a good bottle of italian wine
music- I have the the 7.2.10 Phish show from Charlotte on. They're cooking while I'm cooking.

Fresh local tomatoes are incredible this time of year, The heat and sun make them fat and juicy. Start by cutting an x in the bottom of your tomatoes. Throw them in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes, then dunk them in a pot of ice water. When they cool down the skins will slide right off.

Fill the bottom of a large sauce pot- the bigger the better- with olive oil. Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic, the onion (also chopped), basil and tomato paste. Fry the paste for a few minutes, stirring so that it doesn't burn.

After you take the skins off the tomatoes hold them over the pot and squeeze in your hands crushing them into the pot. When they're all in set the burner to medium and bring to a boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for a couple of hours. Stir your sauce every fifteen minutes or so at least. You can't stir it too much.

You've got about an hour to kill here so do the dishes or take a nap.

Now it's time to "do the eggplant". Today I skinned them but you don't have to. Totally up to you. I figure I have a better chance of the 7 year old eating it if she desn't have to worry about skin. I also sliced in discs rather than the long way. Again, it's totally up to you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Make sure you use all of the slices and the ends. The smaller pieces will come in handy in a few minutes.

Dredge the slices in flour and set them aside until they're all done.

Fill a pan with canola oil, heat it up, open your bottle of wine and reload the music. Frying the eggplant slices takes time and the wine and music will make it go faster. Use enough oil so that it comes up the sides of your eggplant but doesn't cover completely. The oil is hot enough when you drop some bread crumbs in and they sizzle. If the oil starts to smoke it's too hot. Dip your eggplant slices in scrambled egg then coat with bread crumbs and fry. A couple of minutes on one side and then flip. The eggplant slices should be golden and crispy. Drain them on a paper bag or a wire rack to get the extra oil off.

Once all of the eggplant is fried you're ready to build your parm. Start by coating the bottom of the pan with sauce. Add a layer of eggplant, more sauce and sprinkle some mozzarella on top. Another layer of eggplant, more suce, cheeze... you get the idea. The small pieces come in handy here. You can use them to fill in the gaps or you can do what I do. Dip them in the sauce and eat them. You've been cooking for far to long without a least a sample.

My eggplant parm has 3 layers of eggplant. When I get to the top I add more mozzarella and grate some romano on top. Then it goes into a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. When it's done let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes before you cut in. This gives the smell time to move through your whole house so that the kids start asking when dinner is.

That's it. Simple but it takes about 4 hours start to finish. Let me know if you try it, like it or have a way to make it even better!

1 comment:

  1. As a fellow paisan who grew up eating amazing, authentic EP from my old italian mom and her sisters, thanks for the recipe.

    My mom would add 'try to make the eggplant slices "paper thin" and only fry them "for a second"... of course that adds to the time it takes to make the parmesian because you'll need more layers.

    Thanks Jim!

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