Eggplant Parmesan
England, Language, Great Food, and Love
My wife and I just returned from a fantastic two-week excursion to England and Scotland. The weather was perfect, a real rarity for the UK. No rain, blue skies, pleasant temperatures, and lots of glorious sunshine. For me the UK is a special place. It’s almost magical. Maybe it’s because England is my ancestral home. Maybe it’s because it’s just that charming.
Now, almost everyone knows that there’s American English and British English. And while the two are virtually the same there are those words and phrases that are different: lift= elevator; servette= napkin; lorry= truck; biscuit= cookie; and so on. In fact, that now ubiquitous “no worries” response that seemed to spring out of our digital world has its roots in British English.
And then there’s aubergine. Eggplant. I completely forgot that linguistic flip-flop when we visited Bill’s on Cheap Street in Bath. Bill’s is a thoroughly charming English pub with great food and that warm, cozy atmosphere that gives British pubs their reputation.
As my wife set her sights on scones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam—Cream Tea, I studied the menu and found an intriguing, exotic offering: Aubergine and Mozzerella Parmigiana. Baked eggplant (aubergine), Parmesan, spinach and tomato sauce topped with green basil pesto & creamy Buffalo mozzarella (wording from their menu).
As soon as our waitress placed the dish on our table and I saw eggplant, I then remembered the eggplant/aubergine word switch. The dish was vaguely an eggplant parmesan variation. It was fabulous, but it got me thinking about my old recipe for eggplant parmesan, so when we got home to the US, I wanted to prepare the dish to compare our Americanized version to this British variation.
I’m not too sure which I prefer, but I always get a kick out of preparing this rich dish. My daughter who lives in New York was visiting us when I made it this time, and it was especially rewarding. It reminded me again, that there is no greater joy than cooking for people you love.
Here’s the recipe and a sincere hope that you have those you love close by and can prepare this Americanized classic for them.
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants, cut into ½-inch-thick round slices
salt, as needed
4 c. fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbs. dried oregano
1 tbs. dried thyme
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
3 large eggs, beaten
4 tbs. water
4 tbs. milk
4-5 c. marinara sauce
½ c. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
Instructions
Arrange the eggplant slices on large platter and sprinkle generously with salt. Set aside for at least 15-20 minutes. This will let the bitter juices weep from the eggplant.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Rinse the eggplant slices thoroughly. Blot the slices to dry.
Combine the breadcrumbs, oregano, and thyme in a bowl, and then season with pepper.
In another bowl, combine the egg, milk, and water together.
Dredge the eggplant slices one at a time in the egg mixture, and then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and set aside. Sometimes you may need to press some additional breadcrumb mixture onto the eggplant slices if the slice isn’t coated with the breadcrumbs.
Place the breaded eggplant slices on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Flip them over and continue for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool slightly.
Coat a baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the dish with ⅓ of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another ⅓ of the sauce. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauce. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes.