Sicilian Eggplant - 2 ways

My cousin Vic recently visited from California and we made a lot of great meals together. He is an inventive and excellent cook. One day when we had family here we decided to make some of the old Sicilian dishes that my mom used to make. He asked for the recipe for the eggplant dishes but there really isn't one. So I promised to write up what I do and here they are. I will try to insert better pictures next time I make them.

You will need some good marinara for one of these recipes so you might want to make that the night before but please make some (I know Vic will) and don't use store bought.

Fried Eggplant with Marinara

Ingredients:

• One eggplant
• about 2 cups of marinara sauce
• about 4 tbsp fresh basil chopped finely (if you can't get it or grow it, dried will have to do)
• olive oil
• sea salt

Directions:

1. You can peel the eggplant if it isn't local (or perfect and glossy) but feel free to leave the skin on. 
2. Slice the eggplant horizontally (in circles) about 1/4" thick.
3. This step is optional according to everything I've read  I don't do it anymore (sorry, mom) see (salting eggplant?) My mom always salted both sides of the eggplant to get rid of any bitterness. If you do this, salt both sides liberally (you'll wash it off later) and place in a colander to drain. Let the eggplant sit for about 30 minutes and the moisture is extracted. 
   
4. After 30 minutes is up, rinse each slice under cold water and dry (both sides) with paper towels. You don't want any moisture when you fry or it will splash (even more). 
5. Heat a good amount of olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of your frying pan but you won't need any depth) over medium heat. 
6. Fry the eggplant on each side until it is brown and kind of opaque. It should be quite soft when both sides are done. It will also absorb a lot of olive oil so you might have to add more when you flip them. This is good because it really adds to the taste.
7. Have a casserole dish ready and your marinara (it can be cold or hot) handy. Put some of the marinara on the bottom of the casserole. When your eggplant is done, carefully take it out with a spatula and place in the casserole dish. Sprinkle some of the chopped basil on top and add more marinara on each slice. 
8. Continue frying the eggplant slices and put them in the casserole in the same way. It is OK to place one slice on top of another although I tend to stagger them as much as I can. 
9. There is nothing like some of this on fresh Italian bread. You really won't need anything else to make an amazing sandwich. It tastes great warm, but like Sicilian revenge, it is a dish best served cold - the next day. 

Breaded Eggplant

The first time I had this, my cousin's wife (Ignatia Arrigo) brought this to our house. I was about 4 or 5 at the time. I thought it was breaded veal (my favourite) and even though it wasn't it tasted amazing and I have loved it ever since. I am going to repeat things from the above recipe as the preparation is almost exactly the same.

Ingredients:

• One eggplant
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of AP flour
• 2 cups of dried bread crumbs seasoned with salt, pepper, dried oregano and basil
• 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I don't use the pre-grated stuff from a store because they add sawdust to keep it from clumping! Yuck!!!)
• olive oil
• granulated garlic (optional)

Directions:

1. You can peel the eggplant if it isn't local (or perfect and glossy) but feel free to leave the skin on. 
   
2. Slice the eggplant horizontally (in circles) about 1/4" thick.
3. This step is optional according to everything I've read but my mom always salted both sides of the eggplant to get rid of any bitterness. If you do this, salt both sides liberally (you'll wash it off later) and place in a colander to drain. Let the eggplant sit for about 30 minutes and the moisture is extracted.
4. After 30 minutes is up, rinse each slice under cold water and dry (both sides) with paper towels. You don't want any moisture when you bake it or it will be mushy (my mom used to say "mooshoo". 
5. Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush a little olive oil on the paper (but don't soak it) 
7. Place the seasoned bread crumbs in a bowl. You might want to add some granulated garlic depending on your tastes. Add the grated cheese and mix together. 
8. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a fork and add a bit of milk, salt and pepper.
9. Place the flour in a plastic bag and put a slice or two of eggplant in and shake, shake, shake. If you seal the bag, this is a really good job for grandchildren. 
10. Shake any excess flour off and place in the egg wash. When the slice has egg on both sides, press it in the breadcrumbs and then onto the baking sheet. 
11. Repeat for all the slices of eggplant.
12. Drizzle more olive oil on the top of each slice. Don't go crazy, but don't be stingy either. 
13. Bake for about 20 minutes but this really depends on how thick your slices are so check often. They are done with both sides are brown and the eggplant is soft and creamy. You might have to eat one to be sure ;)
14. Unlike revenge these are best served hot but they are also really good in a sandwich the next day.