Eggplant Delight

This recipe is a great way to use your garden's eggplant in the late summer. I am not sure where the recipe's name came from, but it is basically eggplant parmesan. The result is a delicious and filling meal. The only flaw is that this recipe does take a bit of time, so it is more of a weekend meal than a weeknight meal.

The recipe calls for using a 13X9 pan, but I used a 9X9 pan, so I used a little bit less of each of the listed ingredients. I used Mom's classic gravy, but you can easily substitute a basic marinara and even save time by using store-bought sauce. It think it is worthwhile to make Mom's gravy because it adds so much to the dish. It is pretty easy to make the gravy while preparing and pan-frying the eggplant. I also used shredded mozzarella cheese rather than sliced, but only because that is what I had on hand. I also did not have Italian-style bread crumbs, so I just added a bit of garlic and oregano to the plain bread crumbs.

Eggplant Delight 

• 1 large eggplant (about 2 pounds)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1/2 to 1 cup olive oil
• 4 cups gravy
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cut eggplant into 1/2 inch slices; do not pare. Sprinkle slices with salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Pat the slices dry with a towel. In a shallow dish, place flour. Combine egg, water and pepper in another shallow dish. Place bread crumbs in a third shallow dish. For each eggplant slice, drop first in the flour, then in the egg mix, and then into the bread crumbs to coat. Heat the oil on a skillet to medium heat. Brown the eggplant slices on both sides until lightly brown (about five minutes per side).

Spread one cup of sauce on the bottom of a 13X9 pan. Layer half the eggplant, top with half the mozzarella and all the parmesan. Spoon half the remaining sauce over, then the remaining eggplant, sauce and finish with the mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!