Originally published on September 10, 2015
I had one of the best meals of my life this summer. While visiting in Niagara, my mom wanted to take everyone out to celebrate my birthday. We went to Johnny Rocco’s, a gorgeous Italian restaurant in Niagara Falls that I fell in love with the moment I stepped inside. We sat close to the open concept kitchen, which was perfect for me as I could watch the many chef jackets run around and prepare different dishes. I didn’t see them make the eggplant parm, but I’ve tried to recreate it as best I could here. One of the things that I was really striving for was to get that eggplant crispy, crispy, crispy, as it was one of my favourite things about Johnny Rocco’s version. In the end it wasn’t at all soggy, but still not as crunchy as I would like. Next time I think I’ll deep-fry it to get that crunch I’m looking for.
(As a side note, mom was so excited about this eggplant parm, she knew she was having it before we even got there. And once I told her I was making it in my own kitchen, I had to freeze some to bring home with me on my next visit.)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 medium-sized eggplants, or 1 large eggplant
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 pounds of spinach
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
- 2 cups spaghetti sauce
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2.) Heat olive oil in a frying pan set over medium-high heat. When hot add the spinach and season with salt and pepper. Cook just until wilted, about 3 – 5 minutes, stirring and turning often. When finished, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3.) Slice the eggplant very thinly. You can slice it in rounds, or you can slice it in long rectangular slices and then slice it in half. Either way you want the eggplant to only be about 1/4″ thick.
4.) Set up a breading station using 3 baking dishes. In the first add the flour and season with salt and pepper. In the second dish whisk the egg with 1/2 cup of water. In the third dish combine the panko, cornmeal, dried Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5.) One by one dredge the eggplant in flour and then shake off excess. Completely drown them in the egg wash, and then place them in the panko mixture. Really press the panko mixture into the eggplant so that it holds.
6.) Arrange the eggplant on the prepared baking sheets. Place in oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, turning halfway through, until the eggplant is nice and crispy. When done, remove from oven.
7.) Onto half of the eggplant slices, spoon a tablespoon or two of spaghetti sauce. On top of that place about 2 tablespoons of spinach and top with a tablespoon or two of ricotta cheese, covering the spinach. Place another, undressed, eggplant slice over top of each slice covered with spinach and ricotta cheese. Add two tablespoons of spaghetti sauce on top of each stack and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese.
8.) Turn broiler on. When hot place baking sheet inside and broil eggplant for about 2 minutes, just until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
9.) Serve, with pasta tossed in your favourite sauce, and enjoy!