2 medium eggplants
Flour for dregging (about 2 cups)
1/8 tsp Pepper
1/2 Cup grated Parmigiano (for frying)
5 eggs
A 26 ounce jar of Pasta Sauce (or see recipe for "Sunday Gravy")
Olive oil for frying
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese - sliced thin
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmigiano (for baking)
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Peel the eggplant and slice very thin - about 1/8"
(Optional: Lay the slices on paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt. After 30 minutes, rinse and drain the slices)
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium flame
Pour the flour in a shallow dish stir in some of the pepper
In a second shallow dish, beat 5 eggs and stir in the grated cheese
Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, then the egg/cheese mixture before placing in the heated oil.
Fry to a golden brown, turning each slice once, then drain on paper towel.
In a 13x9 baking dish, place a thin layer of sauce all over the bottom. Add a layer of the fried eggplant, overlapping slightly, and another thin layer of sauce. Then arrange slices of mozzarella cheese, covering the sauce and sprinkle a little of the grated cheese. Repeat at least 2 more layers - eggplant, sauce, cheese. Depending on how large the eggplants were, you may have some left over. On the top of the last layer, arrange smaller slices of mozzarella decoratively in a pattern that will guide slicing each portion while serving.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese begins to brown. Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve as a vegetable course.
