Eggplant Parmesan with Harissa Cherry Tomato Gravy
A reimagined take on the classic; amped up with a rich, thick and a slightly spicy gravy.
Ingredients
Eggplant Parmesan
- 1 Eggplant medium to large, enough for 6-8 decent 1-inch slices
- 1 cup breadcrumbs, Italian or homemade as described above (you can use boxed breadcrumbs but utilizing an artisan loaf and making your own breadcrumbs as outlined above will really increase the flavor here).
- 1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
- 4 eggs for the egg dip
- 1 tbsp za'atar substitute thyme and oregano if you don't have za'atar. Add this to your flour dredge.
- vegetable oil enough to make a 1 inch deep pool in your frying pan
- mozzarella cheese large slices, about 1/4 inch in thickness, to top each slice of eggplant before baking/broiling
- 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded or grated. I use an entire bag of pre-packaged shredded parmesan to shortcut the grating of fresh cheese. shhhhh, don't tell anyone.
- kosher salt to bleed out the moisture from the eggplant
- olive oil to brush the baking pan with
Harissa Cherry Tomato Gravy
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 shallot chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp harissa paste 1 tbsp is the perfect amount for me, but if you want to approach with caution to not overdue the heat, start with half the amount and you can always add more later.
Instructions
For frying and baking the eggplant
- Arrange the eggplant slices on several baking sheets and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt. Set aside to let the moisture bleed out from the eggplant, about 1 hour.
- Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels. Allow the eggplant to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to thoroughly air-dry before proceeding to the next step.
- Depending on pan size the actual amount of frying oil will vary, however aim for a 1 inch deep amount of vegetable oil. Frying can begin once the oil reaches 375 degrees. Take your time getting to this temperature as rushing the heating process will result in significantly hotter oil. Once your oil reaches 375 degrees, take a slice of eggplant and dredge it in the za'atar-flour mixture and coat well, shaking off any excess flour before proceeding with the egg dip. Then dunk it in the beaten egg making sure to coat entirely, and lastly coat well in the breadcrumbs. Slowly place the pieces, a few at a time so as not to overcrowded the pan, directly into the oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden, and then carefully flip , cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes until complete. Once finished, transfer the crispy eggplant slices to a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels to allow the excess oil to drop off.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush a baking dish large enough to fit all the slices of eggplant, with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/3 of the cherry tomato gravy and arrange the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with a few tablespoons of the sauce. Place a large slice of mozzarella on each slice of eggplant and top with a healthy amount of shredded parmesan. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, mozzarella and parmesan. Bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. After the 20 minute mark, if your cheese isn't nice and golden brown, crank up the oven to broil and keep a close watch on your eggplant so as not to burn it. It will broil quickly. Once to your desired cheese doneness, remove from oven.
- Toss a healthy amount of grits/polenta/quinoa/rice or any other grain that you want to soak up all the goodness that's contained in this dish, on the bottom of a shallow dish or plate. Place a slice of the eggplant on top, followed by a couple spoonfuls of the gravy, and a little fresh basil or parsley for garnish.
Harissa Cherry Tomato Gravy
- Add all ingredients above except for the harissa to a medium pot, and bring to a simmer. The tomatoes will slowly pop and release their juices. Stir occasionally until most of the tomatoes have popped and allow for a 30 minute simmer. After the 30 minutes, add the harissa paste, stirring well to incorporate and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the gravy until a smooth consistency is achieved. You can adjust the harissa amount to your desired spice level. You can always add more so feel free to start with 1 tsp in case a tablespoon is too much for your liking.
Notes
As an idea - feel free to take the finished eggplant product and toss it on a nice roll, and make an eggplant parmesan sandwich. You can even do this with leftovers! If you do so, place the finished eggplant on the roll, cover in gravy, top with more cheese and toss it into the oven to melt into the roll itself. Also, this gravy is just bonkers, and it's easy to make. It would go well with just about anything. Ditch the entire eggplant part of this eggplant parmesan and use the gravy for meats, fish, veggies or as a pasta sauce if you want. While I didn't reinvent the wheel here, I did find a different way to get the job done, and it's addicting so hopefully you have company, or a large appetite.
If you don't have harissa paste, no worries. You can try to substitute similar pepper pastes, such as Gochujang or Siracha.