inspired by Ristorante IDEALe in San Francisco
from Wells Whitney
serves 6 as a main dish or 12 as a side dish
2 large eggplants, sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 36 slices)
sea salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten with 1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil (you may need more)
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup tomato sauce
8 ounces thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
Sprinkle the eggplant slices all over with sea salt, then place them in layers on paper towels with some weight on top for a few hours.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Rinse off the eggplant slices, dry with paper towels, dip in beaten egg, letting excess roll off, and then quickly dip into bread crumbs, shaking off the excess so that the breading is light. Pan fry in heated olive oil for a few minutes until just starting to get brown.
Place a layer of the browned eggplant in a 10 by 13-inch baking dish. Put a dollop of the sauce, a small portion of the mozzarella and some of the grated Parmesan cheese on top of each slice. Repeat layers of eggplant, sauce and the two cheeses. Sprinkle the top lightly with bread crumbs and any leftover Parmesan cheese. Then bake for 15 minutes until lightly bubbling.
Serve hot on a plate with arugula leaves lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice scattered around the plate edges with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top.
This is also great as the main course for a light meal. Wonderful comfort food!
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