First off, Eggplant Parmesan has been done many different ways throughout the years, but this is a simple recipe that anyone should be able to replicate with ease.
My son cooked this one up with some of the fresh vegetables that he picked up this past week from his CSA in Hoboken, New Jersey. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture – it is a cool program where you can team up with local farmers to receive fresh local fruits, vegetables and more each week. Check out where to find your own CSA program http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
Ingredients:
3 Eggs
1 ear of Corn
2 Cups Bread Crumbs
2 Cups Parmesan Cheese (grated)
2 Tablespoons Oregano (dried and chopped)
2 Tablespoons Basil (dried and chopped)
1 Large Eggplant
1 Large Squash
1 White Onion
36-42 ounces of Marinara Sauce (we LOVE Hoboken’s own “Big Red” Sauce http://www.hobokenfarms.com/sauce/)
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel and slice the squash and eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds. Peel and slice the onion into 1/8 rings. Shuck and cut the kernels off the cob of corn. Combine the eggs, some salt & pepper, and 2 tablespoons of water into a bowl and whisk together. Next, combine 1 cup parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, half the oregano and basil, plus some salt & pepper into another large bowl.
Dip each slice of eggplant and squash into the egg wash, and then into the bowl of breadcrumb mixture. Next, place all of the coated slices onto two baking sheets (make sure to spray the baking sheets with PAM or olive oil). Afterwards, coat the onions and corn with olive oil, salter and pepper and place onto another baking sheet. Place all three baking sheets into the oven for 20 minutes. Next, remove the onions and let them sit. Flip the slices of eggplant and squash, then bake again for another 15 minutes.
Consequently, since my son lives in Hoboken, NJ, he swears by using the local Big Red sauce by Hoboken Farms in this next step… He made sure to include it in this picture. By the way, I looked up this farm and they even got mentioned in the New York Times for their sauce! Pretty serious! http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/nyregion/hoboken-farms-opens-sandwich-shop-in-summit-nj.html?_r=3&. In any event, in a large baking dish, put down a layer of your preferred marinara sauce, then a layer of eggplant, squash and onion/corn mixture. Coat with some additional breadcrumbs, remaining oregano/basil, and some parmesan cheese. Finally, repeat this step again and then bake for another 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees.
In the end, you end up with Eggplant Parmesan Magic!
