Eggplant parmesan

I'm making eggplant parmesan for dinner tonight, so I thought I'd post the recipe. (Incidentally, I'm also making some basic white bread, and honey whole wheat). Eggplant parmesan is actually quite simple, but there are a lot of steps. I'll start by listing the ingredients:

Eggplant (at least two-medium to large eggplants, or more smaller ones)
Salt
Eggs (probably 2 - I often mix one egg with egg whites I have left over from something else)
Bread crumbs - preferably plain
Olive oil
Plain tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes - at least one 28-ounce can, more if you like a lot of sauce
Onion(s) - one or two
Basil - a handful
Parmesan cheese

Start by peeling the eggplant and slicing it about 1/4 inch thick



Place a layer in a collander in the sink, or on a drying rack over a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and cover with a paper towel. Put another layer on top, sprinkle with salt, and cover again. Continue until you have salted all the eggplant, and it's all covered with paper towels. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, you can start making the tomato sauce. Chop up at least one onion into small pieces - if you like a lot of onion in your sauce, use more. Heat some olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion and saute for at least a few minutes, until it starts to turn translucent. Add your tomato sauce and cook until heated through and bubbly. Add the basil (chopping is optional, but I usually do). Turn off the heat.

Beat the egg in a bowl with a small sprinkle of salt, and prepare a plate with bread crumbs. Dip each slice of eggplant into the egg, then dredge in the bread crumbs and set aside. Do this with all the eggplant.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant slices on each side until golden, then remove from the oil. Drain on paper towels if desired. In a lasagne or other baking dish, place a layer of eggplant, and top it with some of the tomato sauce. Grate some parmesan cheese over it. Repeat these layers, until you run out of ingredients.



Cover the baking dish and bake at least until the eggplant is heated through, minimum 20 minutes. Uncover for the last few minutes to brown the top, if desired.

Enjoy!