EGGPLANT PARMESAN

~ Martha Stewart

olive oil for baking sheets
2 eggs
2 T. water
3/4 c. plain breadcrumbs
3/4 c. plus 2 T grated parmesan, divided
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. basil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 1/2 lb. eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
6 c. chunky tomato sauce
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush two baking sheets with oil; set aside. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and water. In a separate bowl, mix breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup parmesan, oregano, basil. Add salt and pepper, as desired.

Dip eggplant rounds in egg mixture and let excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place well-coated rounds on baking sheets. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom, then turn slices over and bake another 20-25 minutes until the other side is browned. Remove from oven and increase temperature to 400 degrees.

Spread two cups of tomato sauce in a 9x13-inch pan. Arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce, then cover with two cups of sauce followed by half of the mozzarella. Repeat layers, then sprinkle the remaining two tablespoons of parmesan over the top. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. Let stand for five minutes before serving.

Notes: I'm nearly forty years old and have never liked eggplant, regardless of how good the cook is or what recipe was used. A friend's daughter and some of my kids stuck some in our bag while we were harvesting my friend's garden several days ago, so I tried this recipe after a friend recommended it. I didn't have enough sauce on hand, so I used two cans of store-bought sauce, then ran all the tomatoes in the house through the food processor to make up the rest of the six cups. Otherwise I made it as directed. Four of us like it, including myself! It's actually really good after it's been breaded and baked, so you could skip the sauce and cheese if you wanted to keep things simple.