Ingredients: |
Ingredients: Janine’s Eggplant Parm Rounds
- 1 large Eggplant (One large eggplant should produce 4 rounds each with 2 slices of eggplant.)
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 egg
- milk, 2% or higher. (You want the breadcrumbs to stick. Skim doesn't’t cut it.)
- breadcrumbs (Italian Style, or seasoned as you like them)
- red or white wine (whichever is your favorite)
- salt & pepper to season
- bay leaf (if you like them)
- a few cloves of fresh garlic (approximate 2-3 depending on size & personal preference for garlic breath)
- oregano
- basil
- fresh Parmesan cheese
- fresh mozzarella cheese (I disagree with my mother, use whole fat!)
- Olive oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
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Directions: |
Directions:Pre-heat the over to 350 degrees. Prepare your cheeses. Slice the fresh mozzarella into circular rounds. If your Parmesan is not grated, grate it. Set aside until later.
Line a baking sheet with tinfoil. This will help extremely with your clean up time. Dribble olive oil over the tin foil, make sure that there is enough olive oil on the pan that will allow the eggplants to be sufficiently coated. Set the baking sheet next to your work station.
Combine 1 egg with an equal portion of milk in a shallow bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Pour your breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl. Slice the Eggplant into circle rounds. NOT lengthwise. Dip each sliced eggplant into the egg mixture, making sure it is well coated. Cover the egg drenched round with breadcrumbs and place on the baking sheet. Continue until all rounds are covered. Make sure there is sufficient space between each round. They will shrink slightly in the baking process. Dribble olive oil over the rounds, so that they are well coated but not soaking. Place the rounds in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the tops are a golden brown. Keep an eye on them as this will depend on the size of the eggplant rounds. Once golden brown, flip each round and repeat.
To prepare the tomato sauce:
Chop up the garlic. (A garlic press is quite useful here.) Place into a small saucepan with a little olive oil over medium heat and sauté quickly. Empty the can of tomato pasta into the saucepan. Fill the now empty can with approximately half balsamic vinegar and half the wine of your choice. (I really like the taste of balsamic so I do even parts of each but you can adjust to your personal taste.) Mix the tomato paste, wine & balsamic vinegar until it is a smooth consistency. Once it is well combined add 1 bay leaf, oregano, basil, salt and pepper and allow to simmer. The longer you allow the sauce to simmer the more the wine and balsamic will cook off, making your sauce sweeter.
I have also made this sauce using onions, which makes it a bit chunkier once it is all put together, but is also quite tasty if you are a fan of onions. If you decide to use onions make sure they are finely diced.
Once your eggplant rounds and sauce are complete, begin assembling the parm rounds, layer as such: one slice of eggplant, sauce, mozzarella, grated Parmesan. I usually layer the rounds two eggplants high. Place the baking sheet back in the oven for approximately 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the Parmesan on top has started to golden.
Serve and Enjoy! |
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