Bernadette's Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant ParmesanTender eggplant under a cloak of layered, battered eggplant, fresh melted mozzarella and tomato sauce. Who doesn’t like eggplant Parmesan.  This timeless, classic Italian recipe is a crowd pleaser that everyone will enjoy!Buona mangiata!Ingredients

• 2 small eggplants

• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

• Natural sea salt

• 2 Tablespoons of whole organic milk

• 1 cup of all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

• 2 1/12 cups of fine bread crumbs

• 1 cup of grated Parmesan Reggiano

• 1 1/2 pounds of fresh Mozzarella, sliced

• 5- 6  cups of marinara sauce (I make it extra saucy for the ultimate re-heat, of course oven only for the microwave destroys the great nutrients)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degree Fahrenheit
2. Thinly slice the eggplants crosswise diagonally and place on a large wire rack or on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle salt on both sides and let them rest and sweat on the racks/pans for 30 minutes. Blot the eggplant with paper towels to absorb the moisture and the excess salt.
3. Drizzle a full size restaurant pan with the olive oil.  In three separate shallow bowls, put your eggs and milk lightly beaten in one, flour in another one, and bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of parmesan in another.
4. One at a time, coat the eggplant in flour, then dip in the egg evenly coating and letting the excess drip off before coating with the bread crumbs, pat gently to get the crumbs to stick. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15 minutes then turn the eggplant slices over, continue to bake until golden brown.
6. Take your pan and cover the bottom with marinara sauce, about 2 cups. Put a layer of eggplant, then a layer of mozzarella, then a layer of sauce then a layer of eggplant, then a layer of marinara sauce and lastly a layer of the remainder of the parmesan reggiano and sliced mozzarella.
7. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let stand for 5 - 10 minutes, serve hot.