Quote:
Originally Posted by Trish Crocker
Gracie, when I make it, I do use the salt. I was told by my Italian ex-mother inlaw that the salt helps to remove moisture from the eggplant..thus making it less mushy (not sure if it's true) I peel it, slice it and then line a colander with it and put a large pan filled with water on top of it to squeeze out the moisture. I leave it that way for about 20 minutes or so. After that, I dip it in flour, egg and milk mix and then bread crumbs. It tastes so good I usually end up eating a few slices before putting it in the pan with the sauce. Good luck! I've tasted your cooking so I know it will be excellent!
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You are correct Trish as was your ex mother in law.
We always have salted the eggplant.
It removes the bitter "bile"......eggplant is naturally bitter.
Slice it as directed......some leave the skin on; some remove it.
Get a big colander...layer the eggplant slices, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt or sea salt.......regular salt can also be used.
Put a heavy plate on top of the salted eggplant....press down on it.
Let it "SWEAT".....you will see the dark liquid..........half hour or so.
Wipe all the slices off with paper towels....to remove excess salt.
Or rinse off.
We do the line up of flour / egg wash / Progresso Italian bread crumbs........then fry in small batches in olive oil.
Wipe out pan between frying batches and add more olive oil.
It is delicious just plain fried as above.
But real eggplant parm needs to be layered with sauce and mozarella.
Use a 9 x 13 baking dish.........or larger pan for more eggplant.....
Layer it with the marinara sauce and top with mozarella......or you can put some between the layers as well.....lightly.
BAKE in oven........read your recipe for temp and time.
Tastes great leftover.........hot or cold. My favorite of favorites.