Eggplant Parmigiana
Makes 8 One Cup Servings; approximately 274 Calories per Serving
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic - in all
1 whole egg plus 4 egg whites
1/4 cup evaporated skim milk
2 cups plain bread crumbs
16 slices peeled, stemmed eggplant
(cut the long way - about 1/4 inch thick)
1 1/2 cups chopped onions, in all
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell peppers, in all
1 cup chopped celery, in all
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground fennel (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried leaf oregano, in all
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sweet basil, in all
2 cups defatted chicken stock - in all
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
6 cups fresh peeled, stemmed, chopped tomatoes, with their juice.
2 packets Equal reg. (optional)
4 ounces low moisture, part-skim shredded Mozzarella cheese (1 cup)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a shallow bowl or pie plate, beat the egg and the egg whites together until frothy, add the milk and beat until thoroughly combined. Combine the breadcrumbs with 1 1/2 teaspoons Seafood Magic in another shallow bowl. Dip each eggplant slice in the egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs,
shaking off the excess, and place on a baking sheet. (You'll probably need two sheets to accommodate all the eggplant.) Bake at 375 degrees 15 minutes, turn the eggplant slices and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and lower temperature to 350 degrees.
Preheat a large heavy skillet over high heat. When very hot, add 1 cup each chopped onions and bell peppers, and 1/2 cup chopped celery. Cook 2 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons Seafood Magic, the salt, the fennel and 1 teaspoon each oregano and basil. Stir well and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until
mixture begins sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add 1/4 cup stock, scrape the pan bottom well and cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until stock is reduced and vegetables are sticking hard. Add the minced garlic and 1/2 cup stock. Scrape the pan bottom again and cook about 3
minutes. Add the remaining chopped onions, peppers and celery and cook 5 to 6 minutes, until mixture is sticking hard again. Add the tomatoes, the remaining Seafood Magic and the remaining oregano and basil. Stir well, cover and cook 25 minutes, stirring and re-covering the pot occasionally.
Add the remaining 11/4 cups stock; cover and cook another 8 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in Equal, if you prefer a slightly sweet taste to your sauce. Cool sauce a few minutes, then puree in blender.
In a baking pan that measures about 11"x17x2" deep, place a layer of sauce, 8 eggplant slices, another layer of sauce, 1/2 of the cheese, the remaining eggplant slices, the remaining sauce, and the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then place under the broiler
until brown and bubbly on top.
Copyright by Chef Paul Prudhomme
