Baked Eggplant Casserole

Somehow I’ve managed to make it this far into my life without eggplant. However, like the Dr. Seuss character, after tasting green eggs and ham declares how he likes it, well, I, like eggplant. It came from a conversation with a good friend, who, it appears prefers their eggplant barely dressed with seasoning and baked. I decided that for my first taste of eggplant I would dress it up a bit more, and bake it with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. So here we have baked eggplant casserole, it is delicious

Eggplant, in the US, Aubergine, in UK and Europe and Brinjal in Asia and South Africa. It has a few names. The eggplant is defined by science as a berry, and related to the tomato and the pepper. It’s a member of the deadly nightshade family, which probably explains why at various times it was believed to be poisonous, or even cause insanity. It is an old world plant, which means it’s originally native to Africa and Asia, and is not particularly high in nutrients. However, it does have the ability to absorb flavors around it when cooking, which increases it’s culinary usefulness. And that’s the part I’m banking on with my baked eggplant casserole.

I wanted to cook it in such a way that it would have lots of flavors to absorb, and have time to allow those flavors to create a little depth. But, before anything, there’s a little prep for the eggplant. Eggplant can be a little bitter, not so much these days, the strains of eggplant grown do not have that bitterness. But traditionally the eggplant was salted prior to cooking to remove that. It appears, there is another effect from salting, especially when frying, which is one of the steps in this dish. It makes for a creamier texture.

So, first is the salting process. Remove the skin (that’s optional and a personal thing) and cut into 1/2 slices. Now this can be length wise or medallions. I’m going to cut into medallions, it’s easier for my application. Now, just sprinkle a little salt on both sides. Lay them on a wire cake rack, over a baking tray to catch any drips. This is going to draw some of the liquid from the eggplant, which is fine. I’ve found an hour to be just the right amount of time. Rinse the slices under running water and pat dry.

The plan is to coat the medallions in seasoned breadcrumbs, pan fry for a couple on minutes on each side, till they’re golden, then layer them with tomato slices and cheese. Breadcrumbs always stick better with some glue, a beaten egg is perfect for that. Starting with the seasoned breadcrumbs, add garlic powder, and ground red pepper flakes. They will add the warmth that I want. Not heat, just warm. Once the medallions are breaded set aside.

Pan fry in a shallow layer of oil till golden brown, realistically 2-3 mins on each side over medium heat. It’s going to take more than one batch, remove any burnt bits between cooking the batches and add any extra oil as needed. A skillet does an amazing job at this, but my stainless steel pan worked well, some of you have non stick, although I’m not a fan, that’s ok. Lay the cooked medallions on a plate ready for the next step.

I use a glass baking dish, and line with parchment paper to prevent sticking. I have a whole post dedicated to liner paper. Starting with a layer of thinly sliced fresh tomatoes, 1/8 inch thick is good. Interestingly enough, the best knife to thinly slice tomato is a bread knife Then a layer of the eggplant, then sprinkle mozzarella. Back to a layer of tomatoes, layer of eggplant and sprinkle cheese. The idea is to create a few layers, at least three. The top layer will just be eggplant, no cheese, yet. Let that bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 mins. This will allow the eggplant to cook, the cheese between the layers to melt and the tomatoes to soften and release their juices. Now sprinkle a layer of cheese on top, put back in the oven for 10 mins, or till the cheese has completely melted. Then remove from the oven and let sit 5 mins or so. The cheese needs to thicken and cool just a little bit.

And that is it, serve baked eggplant casserole with your favorite pasta, or just plain with some Italian bread. Enjoy dinner and thank you for reading