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1
Slice eggplant lengthwise 3/8-inch thick.
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2
Salt both sides, and stack upright in colander.
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3
Set colander in sink, or set in tray to catch drippings.
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4
Let sweat for 30 minutes.
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5
Remove, rinse and pat eggplant dry.
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6
Place olive oil in pan, about 1 1/2 inches worth.
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7
Heat until oil is quite hot, but not smoking.
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8
Dredge eggplant on both sides in flour.
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9
Place in pan, not overlapping, until golden brown.
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10
Flip and continue frying until other side is golden brown.
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11
Remove, drain, and place on paper towels.
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12
Repeat with remaining eggplant.
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13
Meanwhile, as eggplant is being fried, place tomatoes, salt and olive oil in another pan.
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14
Turn to low, or low-medium, and let simmer as you fry the eggplant.
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15
Cook down until tomatoes are reduced by half.
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16
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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17
Smear bottom and sides of (approximately 11X7 baking dish, ceramic preferred) baking dish with butter.
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18
Place a single layer, overlapping, of eggplant in bottom of dish.
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19
Dot with cooked tomato.
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20
Cover with layer of mozzarella, sprinkle quite liberally with grated parm, and snip basil leaves across.
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21
Repeat process, finishing with a layer of eggplant on top.
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22
Sprinkle with remaining parm and place dish in upper third of oven.
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23
Check dish after 20 minutes.
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24
If there is too much liquid being released, remove excess with spoon.
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25
Cook for another 15 minutes.
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26
Let rest before serving.
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27
For a wonderful freezer meal:
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28
To freeze: Cover dish with foil and freeze. When frozen you can pop it out of the container and put in a freezer bag if desired. Individual portions can be cut and microwaved as well for a quick meal!
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29
To heat: Thaw and preheat oven to 350u00b0F Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more.
