Chef Extraordinaire: Eggplant Parmigiana

WARNING: This recipe is not for the faint-hearted. Martha Stewart should have written that label above this delicious-but-crazy concoction. Who knew that a combination of eggplant, marinara sauce, and cheese could possibly be so demanding??

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This recipe has the potential to leave your kitchen in an absolute state of disarray.

You will have sauce splattered all over your counter tops. Unless you’re wearing an apron, it may also be all over your white-striped shirt. Your favorite one. Yeah. That one.

This recipe involves frying (and dipping, dripping, shaking, salting, and squeezing) eggplant. Let’s just stop right there and notice how many verbs are involved here!

Every dish in a 3-foot radius from your stove will be significantly dirty. You will have to reach for dishes already in the dishwasher in order to complete some of the recipe’s more daunting tasks.

This is a recipe that requires half a roll of paper towels. You should note that on your list of potential ingredients.

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In short, this is an evening endeavor that is likely to leave you shouting, cursing, and crying unwanted tears into your eggplant… and, for those of you casually oblivious observers, when a cook is crying into her eggplant, it never really is about the eggplant.

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That being said, this is one of the most delicious dinners I have made so far in my new apartment.

This recipe is so good, if I were in the habit of hosting fancy dinner parties, this would be my star main course.

This eggplant parmigiana is, if I do say so myself, good enough to rival many Italian restaurants!

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Recipes like these require absolutely all of my energy. From the prepping, to the cooking, to the cleanup… this is a very intense work of culinary goodness. This is a feat that will get your hands, arms, and even face dirty.

There is something so incredibly rewarding about engaging in a cooking challenge, and coming out on the other side victorious, exhausted, and full.

Evenings like this bring me so much satisfaction.

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Again, this recipe is not for the weak-in-spirit. However, if you’re willing to give a lot of effort, you will receive a FANTASTIC return on your investment.

If you dare, follow the link here. 

Happy eating, everyone!

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When you cut that eggplant up and you roast it in the oven and you make the tomato sauce and you put it on top, your soul is in that food, and there’s something about that that can never be made by a company that has three million employees.

Mario Batali

Mandi