I was so excited to use up all this glorious eggplant from my neighbor only to realize I didn't have bread crumbs. What? What kind of a God-forsaken Italian household is this? I really wanted to do a deconstructed eggplant parm, but pan frying the eggplant with some kind of coating was key. I thought tempura for a moment, only to realize we didn't have seltzer. Then I had a mildly brilliant idea. Instead of seltzer, I would whip egg whites and add them to the batter. Sometimes improv can be the exact thing your food was looking for.

Eggplant Parmesan 

In the Meatless Monday mentality, I wanted this eggplant to feel like a meal. For this reason, I cut the eggplant pretty thick, about 1 1/2 inches. 

I then salted these gems and zapped them in the microwave for three minutes. Since they are so thick and we are frying them, I wanted them to be mostly cooked before they ever hit the oil. A minute on your lips, years on your hips. Think about it. Just kidding. You eat these little fried disks of happiness without shame. 

The base of the batter was flour, salt, pepper, milk, and egg yolks. Take the remaining whites and whip them until you get a peak like the one pictured. You can over-whip egg whites, so now is not the time to catch up on The Bachelor. 

Fold the whites into the batter and coat your disks in flour. Proceed to dip your disks into the batter and add them to oil that has been heating on medium heat. Since the eggplant is mostly cooked, you're just looking for some good tan lines. When the eggplant comes out of the oil, salt it immediately. Deep regret will set in instantaneously if you do not. 

If you're like me, at this point in the process you will be looking around the kitchen for other things to fry. Pictured are little knobs of spring onion. Salt these when they come out of their spa retreat too.

Instead of marinara, I diced some local tomatoes and tossed them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and basil. Letting this sit out at room temperature for a bit will help the flavors to meld. 

Lastly, I mixed ricotta, shredded mozzarella, salt and pepper together and schmered in on the eggplant. I then sprinkled some parm on top of that and broiled it for about 7 minutes. 

The finished product was delightfully fresh with some dreamy, creamy action from the addition of ricotta. 

Recipe

450 F

2 small eggplants, sliced

1 c flour, plus more for coating

1/4 c milk

salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs

1 c ricotta

1/2 c shredded mozzarella

1 large tomato

basil 

olive oil

balsamic vinegar