Year of the Noodle:  Week 40

I’ve never liked portobello mushrooms.  They are thick, fleshy, and chewy.  I suppose those attributes are what make them appear to a nonveg like the most appealing meat substitute for vegetarian dishes.  I’ve eaten my fair share of these giant shrooms at the BBQs of well intentioned friends who aren’t sure what else to make for me (often the only vegetarian in attendance.)  While I greatly appreciate the effort they put forth to think of me, I also feel too polite to tell them how much I dislike portobellos.  Thus, I pick at half of one and then feed the rest to John.  (If you hang out with me regularly and have fed me a portobello mushroom, thanks for the thought but next time I’d prefer to just eat sides.)

For years I’ve lumped eggplant in the same category as portobellos – generally too icky to serve to anyone but a vegetarian when you aren’t sure what else to make.  In this dish, I suspected that the eggplant mostly serves as a vehicle for eating sauce and cheese.  So I decided to give eggplant another try.  Turns out I was spot on.  While the eggplant provides a bit more substance to the dish, it doesn’t contribute much flavor.  Still, it was a hit with everyone who tried it, and i did enjoy it.  It’s a pretty good dish and it makes the house smell awesome.

Oh, and I served this with angel hair pasta, thus qualifying it for the Year of the Noodle.  It just looked prettier in it’s baking dish than it did on the plate :)

For the Eggplant:

2 medium eggplant (about 2 pounds) cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 cups breadcrumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Tomato Sauce:

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes or pureed or crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and ground pepper

For Baking:
8 ounces whole or part-skim mozzarella, shredded (2 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
10 fresh basil leaves, for garnish

To make the eggplant:

1. In a large bowl, toss half of the eggplant slices and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; transfer salted eggplant to colander set over bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant and salt. Let stand until eggplant releases about 2 tablespoons liquid, 30 to 45 minutes. Arrange eggplant slices on a triple layer of paper towels; cover with a triple layer of paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible, then wipe off excess salt.
2. While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-thirds of the oven, place rimmed baking sheets on both racks, and heat oven to 425 degrees F.
3. In a pie plate or shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in large zipper-lock bag; shake to combine. Beat eggs in second pie plate. Place 8 to 10 eggplant slices in bag with flour, dip in eggs, let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with breadcrumb mixture. Set breaded slices on wire rack set over baking sheet. Repeat with remaining eggplant.
5. Remove preheated baking sheets from oven; add 3 tablespoons oil to each sheet, tilting to coat evenly with oil. Place half of breaded eggplant on each sheet in single layer; bake until eggplant is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes, switching and rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes, and flipping eggplant slices with wide spatula after 20 minutes. Do not turn off oven.

To make the sauce:

1. While eggplant bakes, process 2 cans diced tomatoes in food processor or blender until almost smooth (if using pureed or crushed tomatoes, skip this step).
2. Heat olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is light golden, about 3 minutes; stir in processed and remaining can of tomatoes. Bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil and season to taste.

To assemble:

1. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit; distribute 1 cup sauce over eggplant; sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Layer in remaining eggplant and dot with 1 cup sauce, leaving majority of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella.
2. Bake until bubbling and cheese is browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, scatter basil over top, and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce separately.

Source:  Cooks Illustrated via Smells Like Home