My First Adventure into Eggplant Parmesan

In October of 2007 Sal and I attended the 140^th Birthday Party for the YWCA of Greater Rhode Island. The YW is the third oldest YW in the United States, having been founded in 1867. Did you know that the YWCA founded Traveler’s Aid, now known as Crossroads? Also, The International Institute, The Rape Crisis Center, now known as Day One, and The Blackstone Shelter, now the Blackstone Advocacy Center, just to name a few of the cutting edge programs founded by the YWCA throughout its history.

When I was about 14 years-old, my friend Arlene and I joined the YW Teens. It was a wonderful experience. Being a YW Teen brought me out of my shell, gave me self-confidence and empowered me to become the woman I am today. I was privileged to serve on the Board of Directors for ten years and was the President from 1997 until 2001.

You may be wondering what the story of the YWCA has to do with food. The year was 1964 and the YW-Teen Director, Cheryl Ann Hirst, decided that we were going to have an International Dinner for the immigrants at the International Institute. Another YW-Teen and I decided to make Eggplant Parmesan for about 50 people. What did we know about cooking for that many people and how time consuming making that dish really was? We must have fried about five large eggplants that day. Before we could start the project, we needed to buy the ingredients.

My mother taught me that eggplants are male and female. The male eggplants have fewer seeds, firmer texture and are less bitter. To determine the sex of the eggplant, you look at the blossom end and if there is a round dimple it is male, an oval dimple indicates it is a female. I recently checked the Internet to see if this was a correct way to determine the sex and learned that it is an old wives’ tale, but my family has been using that method for years and I always seem to get the eggplants with the fewest seeds. So who really knows!

Eggplant Parmesan

Peel the eggplant and cut it into quarter-inch slices; salt them and layer them in a colander. Place a plate on top and weigh it down (a large can of tomatoes works well) to press out the bitter juices. After 1 to 2 hours rinse them and pat them dry. This method takes out the bitter juices. However I learned a new method in Ischia, Italy is to slice the eggplant, you then place them in a bowl salted water and let them soak for 5 minutes, take out and pat dry. Then flour, egg, and bread each slice.

At this point, you can fry the eggplant in oil on the stove, which can take hours. If you are making a lot you can oven fry the eggplant. To oven fry, set oven to 375°/400°, put a thin layer of oil in a cookie sheet, place one layer of the eggplant, cook about five minutes, and turn over on the other side for another five minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

To make the eggplant parmesan, you will need to layer the ingredients in a baking dish. You can use red gravy (meat based sauce) or a quick sauce (marinara).

Put a layer of the sauce, a layer of the eggplant, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and repeat until all the ingredients are used or the pan is full. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake in a 350° oven until hot and cheese is bubbly. In a 13 x 9 pan, it is about 45 minutes. Let it set for about 10 minutes before cutting.

Purchasing Eggplant: Smaller, immature eggplants are best. Full-size puffy ones may have hard seeds and can be bitter. Choose a firm, smooth-skinned eggplant that is heavy for its size; avoid those with soft or brown spots. Gently push with your thumb or forefinger. If the flesh gives slightly but then bounces back, it is ripe. If the indentation remains, it is overripe and the insides will be mushy.