Eggplant Parmesan

In summer at the height of eggplant season, I go bread crumb less. Grill your eggplants folks! Dry on paper towels and proceed with layering sauce ( or fresh tomatoes also dried on paper towels), and some chopped basil and cheese. Delicious

One of my favorite dishes, and I learned to make it from my Sicilian grandmother & aunts. They would have been less than pleased if I used 1/2" slices! Very thinly sliced was the goal when prepping the eggplant. I am often disappointed in restaurant versions of this dish because the eggplant is just thick slices. Time saving? Yes. Delicious? Nope.

Like any iconic Italian dish,depending on what village the cook came from, which street, which block, even which side of the street they lived on, you would be told that their way of cooking it was the best and only authentic way to make said dish. It boarders on superstition. Make Eggplant Parmigiana the way you like it and that’s the way to make it. If you haven’t a clue where to start, this recipe is a very good starting place.

As Sue R stated, THINLY cut is the proper way to go. My 94 yr old Italian mother would be appalled by 1/2" cut pieces. My mother's family was from Rome. She always cuts the eggplant thinly and never uses panko or any kind of bread crumbs, which only serves to absorb the oil from the cheese while baking. Bread crumbs = an unappealing oily dish. And, if over-fried, there's a chance of a burnt taste. 1/2" also risks uneven cooking. If cut thinly, you do not need a knife to cut bite-size pieces.

Heat the oven to 400. Slice the eggplant across. Lay them on a greased sheet pan. Pour some olive oil in a shallow dish and using a pastry brush, lightly paint the slices with the oil on both sides. Bake until the slices until they collapse a bit. Follow the recipe instructions using Parmesan and home made tomato sauce. No heavy breeding and you can taste the eggplant.

After reading both the recipe and the comments, I decided to split the difference on eggplant width and cut my eggplants about 1/3 inch wide. Here's my two cents on this width issue: if you're NOT going to bread the eggplant with panko, cut it thinner like everyone's nona, and grill or roast it. If you ARE going to bread it, 1/2 inch is the way to go. Otherwise the crust overwhelms the eggplant. And beware, this recipe will forever make you the Maker of Eggplant Parm for your family!

Eric Kim instructs, in the accompanying article, that "You should make your eggplant Parm the way you like it — and most important, in a way that works with your life." I swap out the mozzarella for a blend of romano and parmesan cheeses.

It's Eggplant Parmesan...not pizza. Skip the heat shield of mozzarella. It blocks all the other subtle flavors of the dish and makes it a gooey mess. I will never understand the compulsion to overuse mozzarella in the US. Adding it to a dish may make it "Italian American" but not true Italian.

My 89 year old native Italian mom makes the best eggplant parm in the world. Sorry, she does. She cuts thin slices and uses egg and flour, not breadcrumbs.

Why is this called "Eggplant Parmesan" when the primary cheese called for is mozzarella?

I know that my opinion will not be popular but I tend to like the eggplant sliced a bit more thickly. To me, it’s important that the eggplant maintains its “integrity” upon cooking. I add a bit of water to the hot oil to steam the eggplant and avoid breading the eggplant but instead sprinkle it (somewhat lightly) with broken pieces of slices toasted garlic round dried baguettes. Every time I make this dish, it’s a huge hit and I get requests to bring it to family gatherings and dinner parties.

Eggplant, breaded with homemade sauce. My favorite thing to eat, well at the top of the list anyway. My Polish born mother made it often and homemade ravioli as well. She learned the way from my father’s mother who came from Naples. Off topic but I love the memory of my parents making homemade bread together.

Yes! My Sicilian mother-in-law taught me how to make hers 30 years ago. She aimed for about 1/4” slices max. She also fried it, but has switched to roasting in the oven in past 10 years. She believes that the best possible/simplest homemade sauce and cheese are the key to good EP.

today I learned, if I leave the insert out of my mandolin slicer, the result is exactly 1/2 inch (I measured). was concerned about the thick eggplant being chewy but it was not. very tender. I think i like this recipe more than my usual Arthur Avenue recipe from Bobby Flay Throwdown (years ago). I LOVE that there is no frying. my two eggplants yielded three layers. i had extra cheese on hand for the additional layer but I think next time I'll increase the cheese ratio.

Too much breadcrumbs so not enough flavor to the eggplant. Agreed - grill it- or use grandma’s recipe and skip this one.