Who knew my mom's weakness was this eggplant? She practically coos when she sees me bust open the mandoline, which is a refreshing response, as the men in my life look upon eggplant with confusion and disdain. "It's the texture!" "It's the flavor!" "How does
this resemble an egg?" Oh, shut up all of you. The texture is tender, the flavor is basically a blank palette, and the name has origins from the middle ages and Europe's trade with the east. They were apparently known as "mad apples" because they were believed to make you insane and tomatoes were believed to be poisonous, so the fact that eggplant parmesan happened at all is a miracle. Either way, some brave individual, or more likely a starving caravan-riding 14th century Italian (I'm looking at you, Marco Polo!) took a bite and thought, "Ey! Thees ees not a-poisonous! Thees ees deeleeshus!" Or, you know, something to that effect. And right he was, that Italian explorer. Roasted tender with the edges slightly crisp and covered in bright and spicy gremolata breadcrumbs, this eggplant makes an excellent side (especially with lamb!) or a perfect hors deuvres rolled up. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 large eggplants (or 4 smaller ones)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup fresh toasted breadcrumbs
small handful flat leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
small handful mint
3 cloves of garlic
2 oz Parmiggiano
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Very thinly slice the eggplants. I use a mandolin for ease and consistency. You want each slice to be about a 1/4 inch thick or under. Lay the slices on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Pop in the oven for 5 minutes, or until softened and brown along the edges. Remove from the oven and flip, sprinkling with salt and pepper and olive oil, and return to the oven for 3 minutes. While the eggplant is cooking, add the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, parsley, mint, garlic, and parmiggiano. Pulse until well combined and the parm has become small crumbs. Flip the eggplant again (it should be very soft) and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. You can choose to roll them up to serve hors doeuvres style, or leave them open to serve as a side. Cook for 5 minutes. Serve warm. Enjoy!
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