Eggplant Pecorino

Eggplant Parmesan will forever be one of my all time favorite comfort foods.  There's just something about taking a bite of the gooey, sauce covered vegetable that feels like a great big hug.  I don't even know when I became such an eggplant parm fan because as a child, I'm fairly certain that I refused to even try it.  Or eggplant in any other form for that matter.  I don't know when that all changed but now I can't seem to get enough of it.  😋

​Even though I prefer to eat my Eggplant smothered in cheese and sauce, I'm calling this a plant based recipe.  It's mostly vegetable based, right?  I'm not sure I would go as far as to say that it's a "healthy" recipe but I feel like it's healthy-er than the deep fried Eggplant Parmesan recipes.  

You may notice that this eggplant pecorino has no breading.  I've always wondered why people go through the trouble of breading the eggplant in eggplant parmesan anyway.  After you drench it in marinara, the breading on the eggplant gets soggy.  I much prefer this method of lightly sautéing the eggplant before layering it with spicy marinara and salty cheeses.  I've actually heard that this is the traditional way that Italians first made eggplant parmesan.  Not sure if that's true but I choose to believe it.  

Eggplant Pecorino
Sauce
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 anchovy filets, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 Tablespoons olive oil

Eggplant
3 eggplants
1/2 cup flour
4 eggs
1 cup olive oil
2 cups Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1 cup mozarella cheese, shredded

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add onion, garlic, anchovies, salt, red pepper flakes and oregano.  

Cook until softened.  Stir in both tomatoes and sugar.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cook 10 minutes.  

Remove from heat and stir in basil and oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour 1 c. sauce into bottom of baking dish. 

Cut ends from eggplants.  Slice lengthwise into thin slices using a mandolin to get 20 slices.

Place flour in a shallow dish.

Beat eggs and place in a shallow dish. 

Line a baking sheet with a triple layer of paper towels.  Heat oil in skillet. 

Dredge eggplant in flour, then in egg and then place in hot oil.  

Fry until lightly browned on both sides.  Cool on paper towel lined baking sheet. 

Place 4 eggplant slices in bottom of dish.  

Spread 1 cup sauce over eggplant.  

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Pecorino.  

Repeat layering 3 more times.  Spread remaining sauce over eggplant and sprinkle with mozarella.  ​

Bake 30 minutes at 375.  Place under broiler and cook until browned.   Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.  Hahahaha

It's officially eggplant season and I can't get enough of the purple fruit. 🍆 There has never been a better time to make my favorite eggplant dishes.  I've got eggplant lasagna and eggplant meatballs on my menu for next week.   Here's hoping my family doesn't get tired of eggplant dinners before the season ends.  😂

​Ciao!

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