Tips & Tricks re: Eggplant Parmesan, please?

[Caevan O’Shite]

I recently tried my hand at a big pan of Eggplant Parmesan, that is, multiple breaded eggplant slices layered in tomato sauce with Mozzarella and Parmesan, baked to browning in the oven... It was not bad- pretty good actually- and a big hit with my Grrrlfriend; my de-facto Step-Son said "it was good", which is plenty coming from him- his coming back for more said, well, more.

Please feel free to give me any tips, ideas, input and instruction on making Eggplant Parmesan and related such delights!

Particularly- it's a many stepped, kinda-sorta labor intensive process to make more than a little at a time! Anything that would streamline that without reducing quality and delightfulness would be gratefully appreciated! As well as any other ideas and tips.

Or- is it just a matter of it all being necessary means to the desired ends? I am NOT complaining, it'd just be great if it were a bit easier and less time consuming (even less messy!) to whip it up in more than single servings- and it'd make it more reasonable to make it more often!

I've considered slicing the eggplant lengthwise into long slices, though I do like the round 'medallions'...
       
 
 

[Dave Bryce]

Never tried it with the eggplant. Big fan of chicken and veal (don't hurt me  ) parm, though - may have to give this a shot.

 

One of the places I go back and forth on parm is putting the mozzarella under or over the sauce before cooking.  I think each has an advantage.   Same with doing a quick brown of the bread-crumbed meat in the frying pan before baking, although I do prefer that these days.  When I do go straight to the oven, I let the meat cook for about 20 minutes before adding the sauce and cheese.

 

dB

[Mark Zeger]

I bread the eggplant, put on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and in a 425° convection oven. Turn once. They get crispy without frying, although frying is a treat.

 

Sometimes I lightly sauce and cheese each piece before baking again, sometimes I layer them. Great either way. 

[Threadslayer]

Looks good paired with the Zoodles

 

[KuruPrionz]

Since you mention slicing long ways, one variation you may enjoy is using the smaller Japanese eggplant instead of the usual large ones. 

Those are good too and may be just what you are looking for, it's worth a try anyway. 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I believe Caev & I have discussed this in the past, so forgive me if I repeat myself!

 

I like the idea of using some of the other varietals of eggplant besides the giant ones found in most American groceries.  The Indian, Vietnamese and Korean groceries near me sell some of the smaller kinds.

 

Something I learned from an Italian restauranteur is that when you slice eggplant thin before baking, it takes on a nuttier flavor and become quite crunchy.  Now, she did that on a pizza, but the lesson stands: slicing your eggplant thinner or thicker will affect flavor, texture, and cooking time.

 

It’s a pain in the ass, but buying a high quality Parmesan and shredding it yourself is an investment that always pays off.  If you can’t find a good parm, look for a cheese called parrano.  It’s flavor is somewhere between parmesan and gouda, and it has an appearance and texture more like gouda.

 

Buying good mozzarella is also worth it.  I’ve happily been using the Bel Gioso from my local groceries most of the time. Occasionally, I use one from The Mozzarella Company, a local cheese maker.  And in some recipes, I substitute a middle eastern cheese called akawi, which is kind of like a firmer, more flavorful mozzarella.  That might work for this recipe, too.

 

Lastly, using panko as part or all of your breading can add a nice crispness and color to almost any fried or baked breaded dish.  One of my cousins married a German guy, and his admission ticket to any event is his schnitzel.  He started including panko in his breading a few years ago after Wolfgang Puck sang its praises.

 

[Caevan O’Shite]

1 hour ago, Dannyalcatraz said:

It’s a pain in the ass, but buying a high quality Parmesan and shredding it yourself is an investment that always pays off.

IN~DEED and MUCH agreed! And not that much of a pain in the ass, really- well worth the effort.
 

 

1 hour ago, Dannyalcatraz said:

...using panko as part or all of your breading can add a nice crispness and color to almost any fried or baked breaded dish.

I did in fact use panko, but not panko alone, when I made that eggplant parmesan recently.

It might be excessive, but for richly flavorful, thick yet crunchy breading, I dredged in flour, then egg wash, then repeated flour and egg wash; then, pressed thoroughly in panko; Pan fried in the EVOO, then layered in tomato sauce and mozz and parm cheeses. The breading did lose its crunchiness, but was still quite yummy. Perhaps if I pan-fry and then also bake or air-fry before adding sauce, I might retain a little of that crunchiness. Maybe. But then, I'm also ADDING EXTRA steps... !    
 
 
 

[Dave Bryce]

Heh…I also do the flour/egg then panko thing.
 

I do a similar thing with my fried chicken mix, replacing 1/4 of the flour with panko.  I love what that does to the texture.

 

dB

[Mark Zeger]

Parm is one of 2 ways I like eggplant. I want it breaded, sauced, & cheese beyond recognition. The eggplant is just a delivery device for everything else. I’d make eggplant parm without the eggplant if I could.

 

Oh, the other way I eat eggplant? Ratatouille. Again, it’s buried in other ingredients. I’ll post a recipe separately.

 

Also, no unpeeled eggplant ever.

[Dannyalcatraz]

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