Provençal Eggplant Parmesan

Here in Provence in the summer, everything is about eggplant.  It's the star ingredient in ratatouille, it finds its way into gratins and casseroles, and I even have a friend from Marseille who makes a spicy eggplant jam to be served with cheese.  I personally am a fan because it makes a great meat substitute.  

When I found myself responsible for preparing dinner for my husband's entire extended family last week, I needed something filling that I could prepare ahead of time.  The perfect solution: eggplant parmesan.  While the traditional Italian version with gooey mozzarella is always delicious, I decided to spice things up with goat cheese and plenty of fresh basil from our garden.  I made my own tomato sauce; if you're short on time, use a canned variety.  You can also play around with the cheeses - I garnished with parmesan, but you could easily use shredded mozzarella; if you don't like goat cheese, stick with fresh mozzarella between the slices of eggplant.

Provençal Eggplant Parmesan

Serves 6-8

For the sauce:

2 onions, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 tomatoes, peeled (do this by cutting a small "x" in the top of each tomato, then dropping them in boiling water for about 30 seconds. The skin comes right off)

1/2 cup tomato purée or tomato juice

pinch of sugar

2 bay leaves, oregano, sage, thyme (or other spices of your choosing)

salt and pepper

olive oil

For the rest:

2-3 large eggplants, cut into thin slices

3 eggs

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

olive oil

goat cheese

fresh basil

For the sauce: sautée the onion in olive oil in a saucepot until it becomes translucent.  Add the garlic and sautée for a few moments longer.  Then add the tomatoes, cut into small chunks, the tomato juice, the sugar, the spices, and the salt and pepper.  Stir well; let simmer over very low heat for approximately 30 minutes.

For the rest: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Beat the eggs in a bowl; mix the flour and 1/2 cup parmesan in a second bowl.  Dip each slice of eggplant in the eggs, then roll in the flour-

parmesan mixture until well coated.  Sautée the eggplant slices in olive oil in a large frying pan until golden (shown on the left).  Coat the bottom of a large, oven-safe pan with olive oil, then a thin layer of tomato sauce; add one layer of sautéed eggplant slices on top.  Cover the eggplant with chunks of goat cheese, then basil leaves (shown above).  Add a second layer of eggplant slices.  Cover with the remaining tomato sauce and garnish with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbling.  Serve with pasta and green salad.

Bon appetit!