by Lupini,
12/2/2011Do not fry the eggplant! Way too oily. Always, whether for moussaka or whatever, roast the eggplant. You can use little or no oil, cook until softened, about 20mins at 400 and then use for layering as per recipe. Salt it, rinse (!) to get rid of the salt, single layer on parchment paper and roast. I use the same paper for numerous rounds of eggplant slices.
Otherwise, love the recipe!
by luciaforte,
10/18/2011This recipe is appalling. The true essence of southern Italian cooking is thrift and freshness. In the Italian home of my childhood neither my mother nor anyone else would have used 3 cups of olive oil for frying eggplant. My mother very lightly brushed the eggplant with oil and grilled or baked it in the oven till softened. She only used fresh tomatoes which she dipped in hot water and then quickly peeled and chopped. I gave this recipe one star because I could not do otherwise.
by Mary_Louise,
6/2/2011I have prepared this for guests and was told that it was the best Eggplant Parmigiana they had ever had. I do salt the eggplant but then rinse it and press dry on paper towels before frying. I love the freshness of the sauce. It is now part of my "go to" repetoire.
by donaldr,
9/20/2010I prepared this dish with the last of our fresh tomatoes but the "salting generously" does not work. The dish was way too salty to eat. Is there some other solution ?
by skipp84,
9/14/2010Just finished making this recipe for the third time this season using eggplants-Globe and Rosa Bianca, Roma tomatoes and basil from my garden. I always salt and weight my eggplants while preparing the other ingredients for the best results. If you use kosher salt it is easier to wipe some of the excess off. I started the sauce with roasted tomatoes for a more intense flavor and a shorter cooking time. I also "pre" lay out my slices in the pan before frying to be certain I have the right amount. Even better the second day.
by pottergal,
9/13/2010i had some lovely firm egplants from my local farm and thought this dish would showcase their flavor. wrong! the egglant was too too greasy. the tomato sauce was too overpowering. both my husband and myself found the dish just okay, not worth repeating and not allowing us to enjoy fully the freshest eggplants.
by TheShirl,
9/12/2010This is just like the eggplant parmesian that I did in Tuscany. You do need to rinse off the excess salt though. I found a difference when I blended the sauce in a food processor and when I used a food mill. Using the food mill made the ingredients taste fresher and truer.
by GSDAD,
9/11/2010This is almost the same recipe I learned when I was living with a family in Italy. They floured the eggplant before frying it, and the fry was more saute than deep fry. It's no more than a three star recipe--closer to two I think--even if it is a taste of home.
I think it is necessary to salt Italian eggplant--if you use an Asian variety, it may not need the purge. Interestingly, my most vivid memory of this dish was making it with my girlfriend--who didn't rinse the salt. We took it out of the oven, served the first helping to her mother, who tasted it, said: "salata" (too salty), and dumped the entire thing out a window and into the Arno. We had scrambled eggs for dinner with the only saltiness at that point being Daniela's tears.
On the other hand, I've made it lots of times since without rinsing, so I guess it depends on how heavy a hand you have with the salt. Since the point is to draw out the water so the eggplant fries crisper, washing with water seems counter-intuitive and counterproductive.
After nearly a lifetime of different melanzana alla parmigiana recipes ranging from authentic to, um, not, my personal favorite is the one Bobby Flay dreamed up in his Eggplant Parmesan (their spelling, not mine) throwdown. The roasted red pepper makes it something I keep coming back to, and the sauce is delicious on pasta by itself.
by profjane,
9/29/2009I cooked this recipe and found it too salty for my taste, so I agree that the salt should be rinsed off. However, I read somewhere that it was not necessary to salt eggplant. has anyone else seen this information? I like the idea of baking the eggplant after brushing with olive oil. It would be less oily and less trouble.
by Wyocook,
9/3/2009Similar to my favorite eggplant parmigiana recipe in Silver Palate cookbook. Try adding a dollop of ricotta cheese mixture (ricotta, eggs, parmesan cheese and chopped parsley)on top of each eggplant slice in the layering process.
by NLS,
8/14/2009Exceptional! Love it without the breading - less calories, too. I did rinse off the salt even though the recipe does not say to. This is very necessary. Used fresh tomatoes from my garden and sliced the garlic and left it in the sauce. Will try adding thyme next time as suggested. My grandsons, ages 13, 10, 6, all ate second helpings.
by czburger81,
7/24/2009I thought this was fab!! I'll need to do a better job taking off more salt from the eggplant but other than that simple and delish!
by reland1_hotmail_com,
7/18/2009Good receipe except: receipe forgets to rinse the salt off the eggplant. Even after a good rinse there's a lot of salt remaining. Try baking the eggplant slices coated with a litte olive oil. Works well without much oil. Texture is better. Flavor is good with listed ingredients. I find a half teaspoon of dried tyme adds a lot.
by anitak,
7/13/2009I found that, having slices only 1/4 in thick, the eggplant way overcooked and turned to absolute mush. Yes, my oil was the proper temperature. I will go back to 1/2 inch, breaded slices to avoid the mushy, oily texture. Perhaps this is the difference between "classic" and more contemporary cuisine where vegetables are more lightly cooked. The taste was excellent; the texture was awful.
