Our Recipes: Mama Lisa's Eggplant Lasagna

Eggplants should feel firm, no soft spots.

We all love Lasagne around our home, but to us it's a treat saved for the colder months. It's just way too filling for summer, but with the end of Summer Lisa thought she'd add another dimension by adding some of the last eggplants from our garden and make us Eggplant Lasagna. Her version uses three cheeses... ricotta, Fontina and smoked mozzarella. Fantastic.

Brava, Mama! She really knows how to take care of her boys...

Ingredients
2 medium, firm eggplants
2 cups breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons Italian seasoning blend
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 eggs, beaten well
3-4 tablespoons sea salt
1 cup canola oil (for frying)

1 box (8 ounces) of "oven ready" (no boil) Lasagna noodles
16 ounces part skim ricotta
1 cup grated fontina
1 cup grated smoked mozzarella
2 cups marinara sauce (you can also use our Pizza Sauce recipe HERE)

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Directions

1. First, open your ricotta and place onto a mesh sieve placed over a bowl to drain away excess water. You can cut up the ricotta to speed the draining a bit. Let drain for 1-2 hours.
   
2. Next, using a vegetable peeler, peel the skins off of the eggplants. (Skins can give a bitter taste, but if you prefer, leave them on).
3. Cut the eggplant into 1/2 round slices.
4. Using a large colander, layer the rounds of eggplant and salt them generously, repeat in layers until all the slices are salted. Then let them drain into a bowl or a sink for 30 minutes. The salt draws out the bitter juice, leaving a sweeter tasting eggplant.
5. After 30 minutes have passed, rinse the eggplant slices in cold water to remove the salt. Then pat the slices dry and lay them out on a cotton kitchen towel or layers of paper towels. 
   
6. Preheat your oven to 375F.
7. Mix your Italian spice blend and Parmigiano Reggiano into the breadcrumbs in a medium size bowl.
8. Place the beaten egg into a shallow bowl.
9. Dip the eggplant rounds first into the egg mixture and then into the breadcrumb mixture to coat all sides. Place onto a baking tray lined with paper towels. Do the same until all of the eggplant is coated. Let the coated eggplant set up for 20 minutes or so before frying.
   
10. Place 1 cup of canola oil (or light olive oil, if preferred) into a large saute pan and turn the heat to medium-low flame (or temperature if electric).
    
11. Just before the oil starts smoking, start frying your eggplant until golden brown on both sides. Use tongs to turn them over gently. Place on a paper lined baking tray to drain.
    

Assembling the Lasagna

1. Take a ladle-full of sauce and coat the bottom of a lasagna pan.
2. Place one layer of oven-ready lasagna sheets along the bottom of the pan. Break sheets as needed to cover on one layer.
3. Spread a thin coating of ricotta top of the first layer, then a layer of eggplant, then some tomato sauce, and finally add a bit of shredded Fontina.
4. Repeat another layer--lasagna sheets, ricotta, eggplant, sauce, then Fontina. You should be able to build 3-4 layers, depending on the size of your lasagna pan.
5. On the top, coat with a bit more sauce and then with the shredded smoked mozzarella.
6. Cover the lasagna pan with foil, with the shiny side facing out, and place in the center of your 375F oven for 50-60 minutes. It should be bubbling around the edges when done.
   
7. At the end of baking, remove the foil and place your oven on broil for 2 minutes.
8. When finished, let stand for 5-10 minutes or so before serving.
   

We had our lasagna with an amazing bottle of "Joha" Primativo by Guttarolo(2010). It was fairly expensive for us ($36 for the bottle), but to our surprise, it was worth it. It had a smooth feeling passing through our lips, was mellow on the tongue with a nice balance of acidity. As most Primativo wines, this had a hearty flavor with bits of musk, hay, and a touch of spice. A great pairing with Lisa's Eggplant Lasagna...

If you make our recipe, let us know how it turned out.

Buon Appetito!

--Jerry Finzi