After my divorce, I went a few years without making eggplant parmesan, something that I enjoy periodically though not frequently. The reason for the dishes’ absence, of course, was the new girlfriend didn’t eat eggplant. That’s how it is for people. We like some things, others not so much, while some foods there is a red line, or hard no.
The hardest part about making eggplant is removing the skin. I use a potato peeler. Once that is done, slice the eggplant(s) in half-inch rounds, and lay them on sheets of paper towels. Salt both sides generously and then ignore the eggplant slices for about 30 minutes. This removes some of the water from the vegetable.
Fry the eggplant in olive oil in a non-stick skillet or pan in batches at a time, 3-4 minutes per side. You will need to add olive oil, most likely, as you turn the slices over and cook the second side. And more olive oil for subsequent batches until all the eggplant is fried.
In a greased baking dish – or baking dishes, lay down the eggplant slices, then top with a bread crumb, panko combination. This will give the dish some support for the sauces to follow.
Then top the eggplant with parmesan cheese. And because I like the creamy texture of mozzarella, I will add some shredded mozzarella to the top.
Once that is set up, top the eggplant with a few healthy spoons of homemade tomato gravy (aka sauce to most Americans).
The third and final step before baking the dish(es) is to make a bechamel sauce using butter (roux), flour, a little grated parmesan cheese and half-and-half, until the mixture is creamy and begins to thicken, but not too thick.
Pour and scrape the bechamel sauce evenly on top of the eggplant slices with piles of tomato sauce.
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.