Bon Apetit’s ‘Best Eggplant Parm of Your Life’-II

By CheeseDiva

This is my version of Bon Appetit Magazine's Best Eggplant Parmigiana. I cut down the timing and substituted several ingredients, making this faster and easier. I still found it was the best Eggplant Parm I'd ever had! This will now be a regular recipe in my repertoire.
Author: Becky | EAT what we EAT

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants
• sea salt
• ¾ cup grated parmesan
• 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 cup flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• olive oil
• ½ bulb garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ cup white wine
• 4 large tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup chopped parsley and basil
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Details

Adapted from eatwhatweeat.com

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare the eggplants:
Cut into long slices, about ½ inch thick. Line a baking tray with paper towel and salt each side. Arrange in single layers with more paper towels in between the layers. Cover with another baking tray, then a heavy pot on top of that so that it weighs the slices down. Let sit for about an hour to drain.
To make the sauce:
Sweat the garlic and onion together with some olive oil in a pot over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the white wine and continue cooking until it has evaporated by ¾. Add the tomato paste and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and water then cook for another 10 minutes until broken down and sauce is bubbly and thickened. Set aside. Heat oven to 180C/350F
To fry the eggplants:
Mix together the breadcrumbs, parmesan and oregano on a large plate. On another plate, add the eggs, and the flour on another plate. Coat each slice in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Set aside on a large plate or cutting board. To fry, heat a large frying pan with some olive oil. Fry for a few minutes on each side until crispy and golden brown. Set aside.
To assemble:
Pour ⅓ of the sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Layer the eggplant slices in a single layer, followed by ⅓ of the cheese, then some more sauce, and herbs. Repeat until all the sauce, eggplant and cheese has been used up - aim for 3 layers. Finish with some more cheese on top. Cover with foil, and cook in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and turn on grill/broiler let the top crisp for 5-7 further minutes. Let sit for 30 minutes before cutting.