Ingredients
Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 roasted red peppers,
• 8 Tomatoes – Thin skin
• 2 tablespoons Parsley, Thyme, (Try for fresh Parsley and Thyme)
• 1 tablespoon Basil and Oregano.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Honey (Optional)
Eggplant:
• 5 cups fresh dried breadcrumbs (Bake it in Oven at 350 till light brown and grind)
• Butter or Margarita
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 to 3 medium eggplants (about 2 1/4-pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices (need about 18 slices)
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce (previously prepared)
• 12 ounces grated mozzarella (not fresh), plus1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 12 ounces grated fontina (Can be Substituted with Grated Parmesan)
For the Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce:
Directions
Put tomatoes in Oven till they are tender and soft, indication is that the skin will separate from pulp and it will become mushy.
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the red peppers and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes; bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process till onion are done. Return the mixture back to the pot, add the parsley & thyme, let it rest and then add basil and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes longer and season with honey to adjust sweetness, if needed.
For the Eggplant:
In the breadcrumbs add salt, white pepper powder, dry parsley, oregano and Italian seasoning. Keep it aside.
In another bowl whisk the eggs with one tablespoon of water. Keep it aside.
Add one tablespoon of all purpose flour with 2 tablespoon of water and again, keep it aside.
Cut the eggplant in round slices, about half inch thick each. Keep it drenched in heavily salted water for 20-30 minutes. Now remove it and pat dry complete between the tissues, after this it will not get browned by exposure to air. Make sure to remove all the salt water to avoid over seasoning of eggplant.
Season each eggplant slice on both sides with pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour mixture, tapping off excess, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the bread crumb mixture (slightly press over here). Heat 3/4 inch of oil in saute pans till its medium hot. Fry the dredged eggplants till it becomes golden brown on both sides. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel to let it absorb excess oil. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Grease flat bottomed baking dish with the previously prepared tomato sauce, and arrange one layer of eggplants over it. Cover the eggplant with some of the sauce, grated mozzarella, and some of the dried basil (Too much basil can dominate the taste, so beware). Repeat to make 3 layers ending with the sauce. Top with the parmesean and sauce mix; cover whole top of eggplant with fresh mozzarella slice. Fill the gap between the eggplant stacks with the tomato sauce. Bake until hot and mozzarella melts on top, about 20 minutes. Now broil it for couple of minutes from top to turn the mozzarella in nice light brown shade. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Serve it with spaghetti pasta tossed with a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and remaining sauce.
For purists the original recipe is at : http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/eggplant-parmesan-recipe/index.html
Hope you enjoy it...
