Eggplant Parmesan

Drain the whole tomatoes in a colander until all that remains are the tomatoes. Place tomatoes in a bowl, add the salt and puree with a hand blender. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.

Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the onions. As soon as the first piece begins to brown, add in the pureed tomatoes and bring to a boil. When the sauce comes to a boil reduce the heat to a low flame and let it cook for 25 minutes slightly covered. Make sure to stir every 5 minutes.

After 25 minutes, add the basil leaves and cook for another 5 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside.

A note about eggplants. Here in Israel we have 2 types of eggplants—the thin long kind and bulky shaped Baladi eggplants. The thin, long shaped ones are more bitter and will need to be drained on paper towels for approximately an hour. If you using Baladi eggplants, you are good to go!

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Slice the eggplants in ¼ inch slices. Depending on the type of eggplants you are using, either drain the slices for bitterness or continue to the second step.

Fill a deep pot with canola oil and let it heat up over medium heat. Let the heat reach approximately 375 F/190 C (you can test it by adding a few drops to the water to see if it sizzles). Add several slices of the eggplants in a single layer and make sure not to crowd the pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until the slices are good and brown but not burnt. Remove them from the oil using a spatula to drain on paper towels. Repeat frying the rest of the eggplant slices.

3. Begin assembling the dish: Cover the bottom of a baking dish (I used a large oval baker) with tomato sauce then add a layer of eggplant slices, ⅓ of the Parmesan and ⅓ of the mozzarella. Continue in the same order two more times.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese on top begins to bubble and get crispy. Take it out of the oven and serve right away.