Photo by Megan Myers |
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants, about 3/4 pound each
- 3 tsp. salt, divided
- 1/4 cup plus 1 T. olive or canola oil, divided
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1½ cups diced tomato
- 1/2 T. finely chopped basil
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
- 4 ounces sliced or 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 4 hoagie rolls or small baguettes, sliced open lengthwise
Preparation
Slice eggplant into 1/2-inch rounds. Sprinkle cut sides with 2 teaspoons salt and place in a colander to drain.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in small saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft and translucent. Add tomatoes and cook about 5 minutes, until tomatoes have broken down. Stir in basil, pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer, creating chunky sauce.
Rinse salt from eggplant and pat dry with towel.
Whisk eggs in shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, stir together breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat until oil shimmers. Dip eggplant slices in egg, letting excess drip, and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Turn to coat. Fry in oil until golden, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. Set aside on paper-towel lined plate to drain.
To assemble, spread tomato sauce on bottom of each hoagie bun. Lay eggplant slices on top, then add more tomato sauce as desired. Top each with 1 ounce (or 1/4 cup shredded) mozzarella.
If desired, place sandwiches on baking sheet and cook under broiler on high for a few minutes to melt mozzarella and crisp bread.
