Baked Eggplant Sandwiches

Baked Eggplant Sandwiches

Adapted from The Food of Southern Italy and TheShiksaInTheKitchen

Ingredients

Makes 8 sandwiches

1 medium eggplant

3.5 oz / 100 gr provolone cheese (or sharp cheddar), sliced

handful of sun-dried tomatoes

1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

4 tablespoons almond meal (or panko breadcrums)

4 tablespoons Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, grated

1 egg

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt

ground pepper to taste

Directions

Fill a large bowl with cold water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir until the salt dissolves completely. Slice the eggplant into rounds about ¼-inch thick and place them into the bowl of water. Let the eggplant rounds sit for at least 20 minutes to draw out the bitterness.

Fish them out of the water and pat them dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven to 375°F (200°C) and place a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Place the eggplant rounds on a flat surface, lining them up in rows with like-sized paired together. Cover half of the eggplant rounds with slices of cheese. Top with sun dried tomatoes, sprinkle with parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Make the sandwiches using the other eggplant slices.

In a small bowl mix almond meal (or bread crumbs) and Parmensan-Reggiano cheese.

In another bowl beat the egg.

Grab one sandwich at a time, gripping it firmly in the center to hold it together. Dip the sandwich in the beaten egg, making sure it is completely covered on all sides with a thin layer of egg. Immediately dip the sandwich in the almond meal mixture, making sure to coat the sides and edges evenly (it doesn’t have to perfect though). Place the sandwich on the greased baking sheet.

Repeat procedure with all sandwiches.

Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping once at the 20 minutes mark (although I completely forgot about this), until the sandwiches are golden on both sides.

Then have at them, just make sure not to burn your tongue.