Eggplant Parmigiani

This is a different version than the one I was taught how to make by a Canadian - David Wright, a computer science student at Stanford University, in the early 1980s. In David's recipe, the ground beef and tomato sauce are cooked together before layering on the fried eggplant slices. The recipe was from his grandmother.

This recipe below is an Internet recipe, and the steps provided are clear.
Yield: 4-6 servings of eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

4 lbs eggplant (2 kg terung bulat besar atau panjang, potong senipis 1/4"; tak perlu buang kulit)
Olive oil for frying
2 and 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped*
A small piece of onion, minced
Abundant basil (beli dari Tesco)
3/4 lbs fresh mozzarella (or buffalo milk if possible)
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
Pepper

*Note:
Since the wateriness of fresh tomatoes varies the above is a minimum. You can also use 3.6 lbs of canned tomatoes or 1 1/2 quarts bottled tomato sauce.

Drain the tomatoes well, and cook them with the minced onion and a sprig of basil.

When they have softened, drain them and put them through a food mill, then cook them a little more over low heat, without letting the sauce thicken too much.

Salt the sauce when it is done and don't add oil, as the eggplant will have absorbed enough in frying.


How to

Peel the eggplants and cut them into quarter-inch slices; salt them and place them between plates to press out the bitter juices. Can also leave the skin on, no need to peel.

After 1 to 2 hours rinse them and pat them dry.

In the mean time, heat a pot of oil to the smoking point, then fry the eggplant slices, a few at a time, removing them from the oil while they are still lightly coloured.

Set the slices upright in a rack to drain, then put them on a sheet of absorbent paper to remove all the oil you can.

Mince the basil and cut the mozzarella into thin slices, then cut the slices into strips.

Take a 10-inch diameter oven-proof dish that's about 3 inches high and spread a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce over it.

Next, beat the eggs with 2/3 cup of tomato sauce.

Arrange a third of the eggplant in the bottom of the dish, overlapping the slices slightly, and cover them with 2 tablespoons grated cheese, 5-6 pieces basil leaves, 2-3 tablespoons of the egg sauce, and half the mozzarella.

Repeat this process with another layer.

Lay down a third layer, covering it with the remaining grated cheese, egg-tomato sauce, and if need be a little more tomato sauce to cover.

Bake in a slow oven for about an hour, turning the heat up in the last few minutes to lightly brown the top.

The dish should not be eaten hot - let it cool a bit, or better yet, entirely.

It will be better the next day or even the day after that.