Eggplant Parmesan with Hard-Boiled Eggs
I returned late last night from a loverly trip to Nashville. I spent lots of fun time with my mamma, uncle, aunt, and beloved cousins. Aside from the family mumbo jumbo, though, I also ate deeeelicious things like HOT CHICKEN and biscuits and, kind of surprisingly, a really tasty kimchi salad? More on that at a later date.
In a bit of a stupor this morning, I knew it would be the perfect stay-at-home-and-cook-comfort-food day, so I did. And comfort food for me is red sauce Italian (or matzoh ball soup, but tonight it was saucy Italian) because I'm a good Long Island girl. I lugged home cheese and eggplants and cans of tomatoes and even made a Caesar salad to really seal the deal. That said, I took some brief breaks to...
1. Watch Drake do this on SNL. I like that he's carrying on the funky dance move thing. My favorite lyric ever to sing nowadays is soonasyouseethetext replyyy me.
2. Research how to watch House Hunter Renovation without cable. That hotel cable and JetBlue DirectTV has ignited a fire in me for HGTV. I'm day dreaming in crown moldings.
3. Floss real good. I always forget my floss when I travel and I feel like a freakin dirty-mouthed pirate when I get home.
Back to the eggplant. I love this recipe, adapted from one found in a cookbook I love--Sicily by Phaidon--which I've mentioned before. The coolest part about this recipe is that, instead of using lots of soft cheese or mozzarella in the filling, instead you use hard boiled eggs. The flavor is perfect and the structure of the things works way better than those too cheesy (WHAT AM I SAYING IS THERE EVEN SUCH A THING) versions. Also there's so much basil that it practically acts as a leafy green filler, but with way more flavor. Yummissimo!
Eggplant Parmesan with Hard-Boiled Eggs
- 6 eggs
- 2 small eggplants
- 2 cups olive oil
- 1 28-oz can tomatoes
- 150g grated Parmesan
- 1/2 bunch basil, chiffonade
- salt, pepper
Cooking Directions
- Place 3 eggs in a small saucepan and cover with water. Set other 3 eggs aside. Bring water to boil with the pot covered. Once boiling, turn off heat, remove lid and let cool.
- Using a mandolin or very sharp knife slice eggplant into thin rounds. Place rounds in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and cover with water. Place a plate on top to weigh eggplant down and set aside for an hour.
- Drain eggplant and pat dry with paper towels.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat one third of the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and add in one third of the eggplant. Cook until it begins to turn golden, then flip and cook on other side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining oil and eggplant.
- Reduce heat to medium and add in tomatoes, breaking them apart with a spoon. Heat for a few minutes, until some of the water has evaporated and sauce has thickened. Turn off heat and season with a pinch of salt.
- Peel and roughly chop boiled eggs.
- In a small casserole, layer in one third of the eggplant. Cover liberally with basil, half of the eggs, a pinch of salt, and lots of freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with two or three tablespoons of the cheese. And then ladle in half of the tomato sauce. Repeat for a second layer.
- For the final layer, add in remaining eggplant. Then combine remaining cheese with 3 eggs. Scramble with a fork and pour over eggplant.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Let cool slightly before serving and top with remaining sprinkle of basil.
