Crispy eggplant slices stack up to enclose melted mozzarella and the signature Parmesan cheese and sit on the plate like a main dish should. A polenta or pasta could be a further adornment of the plate, or serve a salad as a following course. Use an eggplant that is at least 4 inches in diameter. This one, freshly picked, made seven slices: three rows of eggplant in the tower was nearly too much, but as is the nature of the shape of an egg, the top piece was much smaller in diameter. The crumbs used were made from dried leftover bread, corn tortillas, chips all roughly crushed in a mortar. Nothing more was added to the crumbs in this case because some of the chips had been salted. The sauce was very plain, so the cheese and fresh herbs were the stars of the plate.
I grilled the breaded eggplant slices on a long pan on a very hot barbeque, and they became golden within seconds. The oil rolled from right top corner to left bottom of the pan and so I just kept adding olive oil, and moving the fried slices to the right, setting them up in pairs so I could imagine which one would be the bottom and which the top.
I put two little balls of fresh mozzarella on each slice. Parmesan goes around these on the bottom slices. Melt slightly, then the mozzarella on the top needs to be pressed down slightly so it will stay put while flipping. When the top was flipped onto the bottom, that made four rounds of mozzarella in each stack. Fresh Italian parsley and basil were the cut herbs. I like the Parmesan grated coarsely.
- Slice eggplant 3/8″ thick, salt (rest) and drain;
- Dip in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs, rest;
- Make a fresh tomato sauce and cut herbs;
- Fry until golden each eggplant slice in hot olive oil, flip.
- Add mozzarella cheese to the fried side of each slice, add grated parmesan to one half. When mozzarella is melted slightly, flip the ones without the parmesan onto a slice that does have it. Place more parmesan on top of tower.
- Let cheeses melt completely.
- Serve with tomato sauce, fresh herbs and more parmesan, as desired.
