Rinaldi Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe has been passed down in my family for generations....I have never eaten it any other way! My grandmother and mother, hands down, make it the best by far. I come close, but there is nothing like when one of them make it. To me, it is the ultimate comfort food. I love when there are leftovers so I can make a cold eggplant sandwich on a roll the next day. I have been caught midnight snacking right out of the fridge. My co-worker and friend Charlotte asked me today if I had a good recipe for eggplant parmesan ~ to me, this is the ONLY eggplant parm recipe. Which leads me to this post. Hope you enjoy, Charlotte!

2-3 large eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

4 eggs

1 cup flour

2 T. italian seasoning, divided

1 T. garlic powder

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt/pepper

oil

4 cups homeade sauce, or favorite jarred

Mix 1 T. Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper and flour together on a large flat plate. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and 1 T. Italian seasoning. Add 1/4 c. parmesan cheese to eggs. Set aside. In a large frying pan, heat enough oil to come up the sides 1 inch. Dip each eggplant slice in flour first, then egg mixture. Stack on plate until ready to fry whole batch. Place eggplant in hot oil and fry on each side until golden brown, about 1-3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. In a large baking dish, place 1 c. of sauce to coat bottom of pan and arrange eggplant over to form a single layer. Add 1 c. sauce over eggplant and sprinkle with generous amount of parmesan cheese. Repeat layers until pan is full or eggplant is gone, making sure sauce and cheese is on the top. Bake uncovered on 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. It should be bubbly. Enjoy. Eggplant can be fried and frozen in between paper towels until ready to assemble.

Note: This is somewhat time consuming: most of the work will come from preparing the eggplant, cutting, dipping, frying. I try to do as many eggplant as i have time for. I then will layer them on paper towels and place in large freezer bags in a single layer, so the next time I want eggplant parm, i don't have to go through all the trouble. I can just take out, assemble and bake. Also, this version doesn't have mozzerella, like most resteraunt versions. Believe me it doesn't need it. However, my one suggestion would be to use good parmesan cheese...Not the generic in the green bottle. It makes a difference. In my family, i can remember growing up we used to get parmesan cheese in the big blocks from the italian shop. My favorite part was helping my grandpa grate it down, and put it in big pans to dry out! mmmm