Eggplant Parm Sando

I love eggplant parm–I probably eat it more than anybody in the world. When going to an Italian restaurant, I will always order it for the table. It’s puzzling to me that after all these years of cooking, I finally made it for the first time ever in this recipe. Better late than never, right? This sandwich is a tribute of my love to the dish and it was perfection. Crusty baguette for this is a must and pesto from scratch takes it to the next level. Side note–this was my first time having pesto made in a mortar and pestle, and I must say it does make a difference. This is because blenders simply slice through the ingredients, while the crushing of the pestle and mortar coaxes out the natural oils in the ingredients enhancing the overall flavor. It’s an incredibly useful tool in the kitchen and I would recommend buying one.

Recipe

Serves 2-3

Marinara Sauce

• 2 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 8-10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp red chili flakes
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Drain the excess liquid from both cans of tomatoes. Crush by squeezing with your hands or by using a masher to get a chunky texture.
2. Quarter an onion, leaving the root intact, but cut off the dirty part coming out. Thinly slice garlic into 1 mm slices.
3. Sauté garlic and onion in olive oil, adding chili flakes after about a minute. As soon as the garlic begins to turn slightly golden, add tomatoes. Reduce until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pesto

• 1 bunch basil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 c pistachios, shelled
• 1/2 c parm, grated
• 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

1. Note: these instructions are for making pesto in a mortar and pestle. If you’re using a blender or food processor, you can throw all the ingredients into there and blend.
2. Add garlic to a mortar with a pinch of salt to help break it down. Turn into a paste. Add pistachios, turn into a paste. Add basil, turn into a paste. Finish with parm and extra virgin olive oil and stir to incorporate.

Eggplant Parm Sando

• 2 eggplants, sliced into 3/4 inch slices
• 3 cups grated or sliced mozzarella cheese
• 12 oz. container of ricotta cheese
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 c parm, grated, divided into 2
• 6-inch piece baguette (or sandwich bread of choice) per sandwich

1. Slice eggplant vertically into even 3/4 inch slices. Salt both sides and lay on paper towels and let sit for 30 minutes. Pat dry.
2. For the breading station, you’ll need one plate/ bowl with flour, another with 2 beaten eggs, and the third with panko breadcrumbs that have 1/2 cup grated parm mixed in.
3. To bread, first coat eggplant in flour, dusting off the excess. Next, coat in eggs, letting the excess drip. Then, coat in panko, pressing each side with the bread crumbs to ensure full coating that sticks.
4. Shallow fry eggplant in 350ºF olive oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel.
5. Once finished frying all the eggplant, separately lay out each slice on a sheet pan. Add a heaping tablespoon of ricotta on each slice and spread out. Then, add 2-3 tbsp of the marinara, and finish with as much mozzarella and parm desired. Throw under the broiler until the cheese is melted and nicely caramelized.
6. To build the sandwich, add desired amount of pesto on both top and bottom pieces of bread. Lay on 2-4 slices of the eggplant parm, and enjoy.