Eggplant Parmesan

Preparation

1. On a plastic cutting board salt one side of the sliced eggplant. Let the slices rest for 30 minutes to one hour, then pat dry with a kitchen towel, the dryer the better. (I will also try to remove excess salt at this time).
2. Spread flour on a large plate, and coat the eggplant slices with flour. For easier clean-up, I flour the eggplant on an old paper bag cut open.
3. Heat 1-inch of oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan, or to use less oil, fry in a skillet with just enough oil to fry one side at a time, adding more as needed.
4. When oil is hot, 350° F, fry 3-4 slices at a time, about 1 minute on each side. Remove and drain on paper towels, continue until all slices have been fried.
5. In a 6” Pyrex casserole spread a thin layer of tomato sauce, then place the 4 slices largest diameter of eggplant first, topped with cheese, and then a thin layer of sauce. Keep repeating, stacking another slice of eggplant, cheese, and then sauce.
6. Top with more Parmesan, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and drizzle with olive oil.
7. Bake at 350° F for 25-30 minutes, until the bread crumbs are lightly browned.

Chefs Note;

This recipe yields  4 servings with about 6 slices of eggplant layered into each serving. The ultra thin eggplant slices will cook quickly, be careful not to burn. Many recipes call for cutting the eggplant at 1/4 – 1/2 in slices, but the difference in slice size will become apparent with the finished product. Sometimes I will have extra slices of eggplant and I can make several smaller servings. The 2 hour cooking time is really 1 hour preparation/cooking, plus the 1 hour needed for the salted eggplant to sweat.