Eggplant bake

Hello guys! First of all I want to say sorry for the picture quality, but my camera stopped working and I used my cellphone to take the pictures.

This recipe was inspired by the Italian melanzane alla parmigiana (eggplant parmesan). I also baked the breaded eggplant rather than frying it.

You have to start with the eggplant and slicing it thin, around 1 or 2 cm thin. Then put layers of the sliced eggplant in a colander with coarse salt and put a plate and something heavy on top. This is to get rid of the moisture of the eggplant. Leave it for about 15 to 30 mins. You can also use zucchini instead of eggplant or a mix of both.

Ingredients:

- Sliced eggplant
- Onion and garlic
- Tomato sauce
- Mozzarella cheese (or your choice, it has to be melty cheese)

For the breading:

- Eggs
- Breadcrumbs
- Spices of your choice (I used: oregano, thyme, basil)
- Grated parmesan cheese (I didn't have so I used pecorino)

1. Whisk eggs, add salt and pepper. Make the breadcrumbs ready, by adding grated parmesan cheese and spices.

2. Coat the eggplant with egg and bread it.

3. Brush a bit of oil in a baking tray and bake the eggplant for about 15 minutes in a 200 C oven. You can as well fry it, in case you don't want to bake it.

4. While the eggplant is in the oven. Sauté onion and garlic in some olive oil and add the tomato sauce. Salt and pepper if necessary.

5. When the eggplant and sauce are ready. Place some sauce on the bottom of a baking dish and start layering the ingredients like so: eggplant, sauce, cheese.

6. Bake for 20 minutes at 170 C. When ready let it stand for 15 minutes and serve!

It was really good!! You can always make pasta and serve it, but I for me it was good enough to eat it like this.

Enjoy!

-Carolina