Laurie's Famous Eggplant Parmesan

I have been making eggplant parm in my own way for years now... 13 or 14, I think.  When I first started making it, I copied my mother's recipe for the most part, but I liked things a little different, so I played around with options and it didn't take very long until I had the method that I use now.  The first time my sister Julie tried it - 11 years ago or something - she went home and raved about it to my parents, and then they asked me to cook it for them, too.  I know it's the best, because honestly, if something you are making isn't your favorite, then why are you making it that way?  But it's gotten many accolades from many different people over the years, and since I recently mentioned it in my post about lasagna, I figured I would share my recipe here, in case anybody else wants to have the best eggplant parm in the world.

"Parmesan" means in the method of Parma.  Veal parmesan, eggplant parmesan, chicken parmesan, whatever.  It includes breading and frying the whatever-you're-having, and usually baking it with sauce and cheese.  I don't like the baking it part, because after the frying you have this nice, crisp exterior, but if you drown it in sauce and bake it for a while, it obviously loses it's crispness.  This omission is one of the three ways I differ from regular parmesan.  The other two ways are that I cut the skins off the eggplant; and that I cut the eggplant thick and then cook it only lightly, so that it's not a thin mushy pile of ... well, mush.

Here is an actual recipe, although this is the first time I have EVER attempted to suss it out in recipe form, literally.  I just go into the kitchen and do my thing, so if any of these amounts don't work out for you, please just change it.  It's all approximate, k?

Laurie's Famous Eggplant Parmesan

1 medium-sized eggplant, fresh, firm
3/4 c bread crumbs (Italian style or plain plus seasoning)
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese (kraft in the can is best; actual parmaggiano-reggiano doesn't work well for this type of application)
2 eggs
canola or other veggie oil
tomato sauce of your liking (I like something simple and w/o chunks, lightly seasoned)
mozzarella cheese, shredded
more parmesan or parmaggiano-reggiano (for the finishing element, real parmaggiano DOES work great)

1. Cut off the very top and bottom of the eggplant and slice the eggplant into discs, about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Slice off the skin of the eggplant trying to cut off as little flesh as possible and keeping the eggplant in basic disc shape.  Lay the eggplant discs out on a tray or plate in one layer and lightly salt all the discs.  Set them aside for about 10-15 minutes.  The salt will pull some moisture out of the eggplant.
2.  In the meantime, in a medium sized bowl combine equal parts grated (canned) parmesan and bread crumbs.  (If using unseasoned bread crumbs, add a pinch each of: dried basil, dried parsely, and granulated garlic.)  Add a pinch of salt and black pepper.  Mix well.
3.  In a separate bowl, crack two whole eggs and whisk well. 
4.  Heat a half inch of canola oil in a non-stick sautee pan on medium heat.  Near the pan, line up the egg, breadcrumbs, and a plate or tray that has a few paper towels on it.
5.  With paper towels, dab the eggplant discs dry.  One by one, dip a disc into the egg, shake off excess, then dip into the breadcrumb mixture.  Coat well with the breadcrumbs, then drop carefully into the hot oil.  The oil should sizzle a little; if it doesn't sizzle, heat it up before continuing; if it really pops and screams when the eggplant goes in, turn down the heat.
6.  Don't overcrowd the pan with eggplant; leave a little space between each one.  Cook each disc until it is golden brown on one side, then turn it over carefully with tongs.  As you pull discs out, place them on the paper towel plate.  If you are making a large batch, you can transfer some to a very low oven while you continue the rest.
7.  When you are ready to serve, plate the eggplant discs, spoon a little very hot sauce alongside the eggplant, and sprinkle the whole thing with room-temp shredded mozzarella and a little parmagianno-reggiano.  This way you get melted cheese for the top of your eggplant without having to bake it and lose the crispness.  Serve it right away.  Or better yet, serve all those components at the table (piping hot of course) so that everyone puts it together themselves and the eggplant stays crisp even longer.

I like to serve eggplant parmesan with pasta on the side.  Sometimes I go nuts and I also make veggie Italian sausage with peppers and onions.  Then the plate is eggplant parm, pasta, sausage, peppers and onions, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese.  It's a lot of food, but it's YUMMY.

There you have it.  That's how I do eggplant parm.  If you try it, I hope you enjoy it.

Happy eating!