Eggplant Parmesan @MaddieDayAuthor #giveaway

MADDIE DAY here, with a hearty vegetarian dinner for you.

My son gave me a couple of lovely eggplants from his garden, and I hadn't made Eggplant Parmesan in a few years. Thanks for the inspiration, Allan! I also had plentiful tomatoes, garlic, and basil from my own garden, but you can substitute a jar of good marinara sauce if you want.

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants, cut crosswise into ⅓-inch-thick rounds

3¼ tsp. kosher salt

3-4 cups tomatoes, coarsely chopped, or 3 cups marinara sauce

3 tablespoons. extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

20 fresh basil leaves, torn in half

¾ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (⅔ cup)

8 ounces chilled fresh mozzarella (not unsalted), thinly sliced

Option: have a jar of marinara handy in case you need it.

(Note: photo shows two eggs, which you can use in the dredging process, but I decided not to and the dish came out fine.

Directions

Toss eggplant with 2 tsp. kosher salt in a colander set over a bowl, then let drain 30 minutes.

Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat and saute onion until tender. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds.

Add chopped tomato, basil, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Stir together flour, panko, and ⅓ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, ¼ tsp. kosher salt, and  ¼ tsp. pepper in a shallow bowl. Working with 1 slice at a time, dredge eggplant in dry mix, shaking off excess until evenly coated. 

Transfer eggplant to prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for twenty minutes.

Lower heat to 375. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of a rectangular 3½-quart (13- by 11- by 2-inch) baking dish. Arrange about one-third of eggplant slices in 1 layer over sauce, overlapping slightly if necessary. Cover the layer of eggplant with about one-third of remaining sauce (about 1¼ cups) and one-third of mozzarella. Continue layering with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella. 

If you run out of sauce, add a cup of jarred marinara. Sprinkle top with remaining ⅓ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted and golden and sauce is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. 

Serve with a green salad and crusty bread or over pasta with pesto sauce.

Readers: How do you like your eggplant? I'll send a commenter a copy of Murder at Cape Costumers!

🍅🧄🧄🍅

Murder at Cape Costumers is out and available wherever book are sold!

My most recent releases are Scone Cold Dead, #13 in the Country Store Mysteries,

 Deadly Crush, 

and A Case for the Ladies.

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Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.