6-Ingredient Eggplant Parm (Italian-Style Melanzane alla Parmigiana) | Kenji's Cooking Show
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- Get my books (including The Food Lab and my new book, The Wok) here: www.kenjilopez...
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This version of eggplant parm is quite different from the Italian-American version you'll find in my book or on Serious Eats. While the Italian-American version uses breadcrumbs and ends up as more of a sort of juicy but sliceable casserole, the Italian original is a much simpler affair that really highlights two summer vegetables: eggplants and tomatoes.
Some recipes call for a bit of an egg wash, or perhaps a quick dip in flour before you cook the eggplant, but I usually keep it as simple as possible: nothing but sliced eggplant fried in olive oil, layered with crushed tomatoes (I used my quick sauce made from fresh plum tomatoes: • Easy to Make Red Sauce... ), mozzarella, basil, and parmesan. That's it!
Baked together the flavors meld perfectly with the bitterness of the eggplant and olive oil balanced by the bright sweetness of the tomatoes and the rich dairy backbone of the mozzarella. The texture is creamy and silky with a little pull from the cheese, but it's also got a few crispy bits here and there where the edges of the eggplant crisp up as they fry.
I love both versions of the dish, and if you want, you can find the Italian-American eggplant parmesan recipe in my book The Food Lab, or here on Serious Eats: www.seriouseat...
Kenji! would you mind doing an episode where you clean up? My problem with cooking is that I feel that I'm not doing a great job cleaning up afterwards and would love to know your process after cooking a meal like this. How do you store the oil? How do you clean your stove? do you take out all the grills and spray and wipe it down? What do you wash first? Do you let your pans come to room temperature before cleaning them? its a topic I don't see anyone tackling and i I think your format would be interesting to watch
seconded, especially gas burning stoves I try to clean them once a week because its a hassle to clean it everyday which you can do with induction or glass top electric. But I feel like even once a week is too long of a time and oil builds up quick.
I would love love this!
in my experience of frying stuff in my cast iron, i generally just leave the cast iron w/ the oil in it on my stove. i make homemade tortilla chips frequently and change the oil out once every like two weeks. i let it dry completely before adding new oil.
clean as you go always. if you’re not using something wash it, dry it and put it away. have a kitchen towel for drying and a microfiber for finer glass. always be productive with your down time. waiting for something to reduce or fry off? clean your board. surfaces should always be cleaned immediately. if something splatters it is much easier to clean if you take care of it right away. mise mise mise!! have everything prepared before you start a recipe. Kenji is a pro and it takes a lot of skill to cut as you go in an efficient manor. ideally you want your whole recipe prepared and ready to go so that your time spent cooking is just a matter of adding things in. as for pots and pans- it depends on material but most times if you are using the correct tool for the job and the proper temperature cleaning pans shouldn’t be a problem. don’t let things like cast iron or carbon steel soak in the sink, and invest in a chain mail scrubby to use on sensitive cookware. stainless is a breeze in this department so long as you charge your pan properly before cooking and scrub the shit out of it with barkeepers friend often so it shines. lastly, organize your kitchen so that everything has a place and you maximize counter space as much as you can. you’ll notice kenji uses every corner of his work surfaces for something useful and efficient. he has the proper containers and tools that save space or are designed properly so they are a breeze to use. sweep often, doesn’t have to be extremely thorough but if you know there’s crumbs on the ground, wipe em up. and have a mop and some solution ready for the caked on stuff. don’t overlook the organization of your space and the utilize what you have. cooking is laborious but labor is never lost in the kitchen. nothing worse than having a load of dirty dishes in the sink, oil all over your stove, cutting board full of herbs and smelling like onion. to avoid this you have to be proactive about getting ahead constantly. your guests, partners, & friends will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
you got this! happy cooking :)
@@cronanoAmen! 👍
We are being blessed by Kenji content lately
We cherish these moments fr
So many kenji videos in a week! What did we do to deserve this? 😂 I'm actually currently making your beef stew recipe
I have found that instead of frying you can brush the eggplant slices with olive oil on both sides and broil/roast them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or silicone mat) in the oven until you get the desired color, flipping them over once.
This lets you control how much oil you want to use, reduces waste and you cut down on active time. Overall cooking time is the same since they will need to bake in the oven for about 20min.
Great idea!
I like that. Easier to clean up as well since there is less oil splattering on your range.
I also do this with breaded eggplant parm because I find you lose the crispiness after baking in sauce anyway so it does not need to be perfectly fried
Interesting, I make a lot of parmigiana so will try this technique!
Just be sure still get some olive oil on there, it's part of the flavor!
So glad to see a non-breaded eggplant parm recipe… there is only one restaurant near me that does it this way and I am now hyped to make one on my own! Thanks!
America’s Test Kitchen did one with Pecorino. Some differences in technique and presentation.
This is a wonderful recipe. I bought some eggplant at my local Farmers Market on Saturday. Yesterday I followed your recipe and asked my neighbor over supper. We Loved it. I used plant based Mozzarella, I’m on a mission to lower my cholesterol. Delicious. Thank you!
Always appreciate a recipe that teaches me to not be afraid of eggplant!
nothing makes me want to cook more than a Kenji video!
My favourite Kenji jokes are the ones he has to debate with himself for a bit on whether or not to say, or the ones he just says really quickly and moves on.
The chuckle after saying beating his eggplant 😂
Longest 20 minutes of your life.. unless you’ve ever had a kidney stone
I liked the global warming argument joke!
I've done this before but leaving the eggplant in beer and then coating them with semolino, getting an extra crispy crust really improving the dish overall!
That's cool to see a different version of this. I just don't like the soft eggplant texture but I love the flavor combo. We make a "deconstructed" eggplant parm at our house. We bread and fry the eggplant Japanese style with panko bread crumbs and we plate it next to a pile of sauce with cheese melted over it. Every bite is crispy goodness! Thanks for starting to post again Kenji!
I love this idea
@@ARZSZN It's so good
Kenji, I'm so glad to see you posting more regular content. You lift my spirit with your positivity and relaxed approach to cooking. I would love to see a video on how you clean your kitchen, what products you use to keep it in such good order and the process you use for deep cleaning the kitchen. Or if you just do it piecemeal while cooking. Thanks in advance!
I would recommend chopping the basil up and sprinkling on each layer except the top layer. Then adding fresh full leaves on top. You still get the basil aromatics coming out from the oven and the fresh notes from the unbaked leaves. The fresh leaves also help to breakdown some of the heaviness of the cheese, oil, and red sauce. However, i also make an egg parm very similar, cheers mate.
I didn’t watch when I first saw you because the video made me dizzy but I watched the beef stew video and now I can’t stop watching! The puppies, your amazing cooking, the sensitive attention to gender issues…..the fact that you live in Seattle where I’ve always wanted to live??! I’m making my way thru your videos, so happy I started watching again!!! ❤️💫❤️
My fiancee LOVES eggplant. I do not....most of the time. Having a solid cooking technique will really help us enjoy more eggplant dishes together. Thanks for sharing!
im really loving these recent uploads! your work is very educational, and your style is very entertaining. keep up the unique work!
Love the see the vegetarian dishes! I'm not a fan of eggplant really but I am very tempted to give this a go, thanks Kenji
This will make you fall in love with eggplant!
Heads up (if you're making this for a veggie) that parm isn't usually vegetarian - it uses animal rennet. You can buy veggie parm, though. :)
@@FMLcrispylara Thanks for the heads up! Although rennet doesnt really bother me
Try eggplant shakshuka, it made me a fan
Same, eggplant isn't my fave but I'm also gonna try this! One other thing you could try which I made recently was these amazing eggplant and oyster mushroom tacos with smoky chipotle sauce, they were so delicious!
This was absolutely incredibly delicious. I've made versions of this without frying to cut back on calories. There's something magically delicious about frying the eggplant slices directly in the oil. OMG. No wonder everybody does it, I've totally been missing out on this all my life! I got some fancy Italian eggplants at the farmer's market. Not a lot of moisture came out so I'm going to skip this step next time and I saw on pasta grammar that if you have these fancy Italian eggplants you don't have to salt them. The eggplants fried up really quickly. I might make this again next weekend! Insanely delicious.
Your square Griswold looks like a no.55, which dates it to the mid/late 1950's or even the early 1960's post-bankruptcy Wagner Ware era. Not quite 100 years old, and not very collectible but still a great pan 😅
Haha I knew I’d find out? Appreciate it! I have a number kf wagoners and gris wolds and this is probably my favorite. I love the size and it’s quite lightweight.
Hi Kenji!
I lived in naples half of my life before moving out and one tip i learned from my italian neighbor was to flour and egg the eggplants before frying. It elevates it so much
I love this channel. You're the best
Watched, noticed I had all the ingredients and cooked it for dinner tonight. Delicious!
I love a bright, fresh tomato sauce. Anything with eggplant in it ranks higher. I didn't have any of the ingredients on hand, so pot stickers and crudités filled out bellies.
We love you Kenji. Thank you for continuing to make awesome videos for us to digest. You make the world a better place with your videos! You’re the best Kenji!
Can't help but think of John Carpenter's Escape From New York theme every time your outro starts playing. The sounds, some of the notes.
Almost the same as Daniel Gritzer's recipe on SE, which I love and make when eggplant is in season. It's an excellent recipe. I would say that the level of moisture in your sauce still needs to be considered. Something as watery as passata will leave an unpleasant pool of liquid, learn from my mistake. Now I go for a jar of thick sauce, but if you have any homemade version, just reduce it well.
That looks so delicious using simple and straightforward ingredients Kenji.
I'm not one for haul videos, I would love to see what a Kenji buys from Costco 👀
"Trust me, when you eat eggplant, go for "under the cap'." - Chairman Kaga
"Allez Cuisine!"
I just love everything about this channel, such enjoyable and informative videos to watch!
Kenji is Sam Sulek of cooking
Loving all the new videos! I've been bingeing your videos and the new ones are so smooth compared to the old ones! Always delicious looking food and great tips but it's nice to not be dizzy from the go-pro! 😆
this was a great recipe. I kind of cheated and stove roasted the eggplant (with less oil but high heat). also skipped a couple ingredients I didn't have and used canned (pre-crushed tomatoes) because it was a good brand and they were on sale. I think the dish turned out well. my cheese tasted a little on the bland side so I wished I had salted it a little bit. but the eggplant and tomato tasted really wonderful and the tomato sauce cooked down in a nice way. I may have been able to cook it a little longer but lost patience. thank you
I recreated this recipe 20% because it looks good and 80% because you didn’t show us how much water came out after dry brining the eggplant. To those wondering, about a quarter cup.
The key to success is to focus on goals, not obstacles.
One more great reason to plant some eggplants in the spring. Thanks, Kenji!
4:40 DOODOO
When he ate the lil bit of Mozzarella I realised that I’d been having the same impulse the whole time it was on screen
You're my favourite eggplant kenji
I really enjoy your videos and I think adding the sped up parts is cool. Maybe if overlay some smooth music over them it might make it that much better. Thanks for the content.
You can usually look up the age of your cast iron by the markings on the bottom. Mine was made in the 1930's, and it belonged to my grandmother.
This is basically the version I grew up with as an Italian American. I never tried the breaded and fried version until I was an adult, and I don't really like it.
4:54~ Water is always pulled towards more salt, and normal saline in life forms are usually 0.9% sodium.
14:53~ Not gonna force anyone, but eggplant skin has anthocyanins(substances that will help with capiliary strength, vision, anti-aging, anti-cancer, etc., Latin for "dark blue of flowers"), that one shouldn't miss out on.
looks amazing :)
I love peeling some stripes out of the skin, so it'll the some of the texture will still be there but less of the bitterness
This is going on my menu this week, at home!!
loving ur new videos kenji!
Looks delicious! Wish i had some eggplants right now❤
That looks fantastic. Ever grilled the eggplant on the Q for this type dish? Would lessen fat, and you could probably fit it all in one go.
I have to make a meatball sub this weekend 🤤
HE’S BACK
thanks kenji for teaching me how to beat an eggplant
Love the videos kenji !!!!
When making eggplant dishes like moussaka, for a "lighter" version, I brush or spray the eggplant with olive oil, then grill on medium heat on a gas bbq. It renders down all the moisture too, so no need to salt it first, and you get some nice smokey char too.
It did a similar thing, brushed it with olive oil and just put it in the oven under the broiler for a short while. Worked out fine, at least for my low expectations 😅
@@AccAkut1987 that'll work too - and are probably halving the number of calories.
Keep churning em out Kenji!
Unless you've had a kidney stone indeed. Yeah I felt that one.
You and me both. Oof.
Interesting. What I always heard is that you want to find the lightest eggplant, bc they will have less seeds and are therefore less bitter
After choosing friends, is to choose a good book.
the giant earlywood chop sticks are baller
I really like this. I like the simplicity of it. Do you think it would freeze well?
And as a bonus this recipe is gluten free - thank you Kenji - some people really can't eat gluten containing products.
Where can I buy a fancy olive oil can like yours? 17:57
Hey, Kenji. For how long should we brine the eggplants?
In the video I think he said 30 minutes.
Great and fresh recipe.😂
Yooooooo I’m early for some egg palm!
Youth means limitless possibilities.
If you use the brining method for the eggplant, how long do you leave it in the brine?
Looks delicious
Hey kenji, could you make moussaka??
he is back
I’m gonna make this this weekend. Better line up some podcasts… anyone know if it can be prepared a day or two in advance and just baked when ready?
It can!
I do not like eggplant in any form. But this dish looks well worth giving a shot. 😋😋
Kenji, hmmm just a random thought as I’m watching this.. I want to try this in an air fryer. I’m almost out of olive oil and too lazy to go out of the store today 😊
Kenji, would it be just as good if you were to bake(roast) the eggplant slices in the oven without pre-salting them?
I prefer cook the eggplans in the pan with little oil... if you fry the eggplant it takes a lot a lot of oil
This looks terrific. My wife loves eggplant parm and it's almost our aniversary so guess what I'm making this year. Thanks Kenji!
Hi Kenji, is there any chance that you can speak to how to shop for olive oil? How do you know if it’s good olive oil for that salad or on top of some thing versus some thing that with you and use in some thing? also, what brands do you prefer?
My arteries enjoyed this video 🤤🤤
Can you roast them in the oven drizzled with extra virgin olive oil to make it a bit lighter?
incredible
Have you ever made tombet? This reminds me of that.
Speaking of that giant board, I'm curious how you clean it. Just wipe off?
Hey Kenji-- longtime fan and owner of Food Lab! How would you wet brine the eggplants before frying? I am making this recipe for a dinner party I am hosting soon, and brining sounds a little better than salad-spinning... Thanks :)
Could you use this same approach with thinly sliced chicken for a chicken parm? I guess the chicken would probably have to be breaded to benefit from the frying, right?
Kenji you have been looking very good lately
I wonder if this would work with steamed eggplant
I wonder if I could fry 1 inch wedges of eggplant like they're hashbrowns, would that fall apart too much by the time it's out of the oven?
and if you leave out the cheese you get the most beloved vegan dish among vegan and non-vegan folks :)
The Costco EVO IS my best olive oil lol.
Griswold No. 55
9-1/2" sq.
small logo
1960s
Hey kenji, how do like using your butterpat skillet?
It’s large and nice and insanely overpriced.
hi @JKenjiLopezAlt just wanted to give you a heads up, as I can see in the first few frames of the video something you've been trying to keep out of your content. otherwise, excellent recipe, looking forward to trying it.
i aswell did read the top comment of this video
Hey Kenji! I actually just made the eggplant parm recipe from your Food Lab book last week! In that recipe, you mention microwaving then flattening the eggplant slices with a towel (or having a heavy plate do some of the flattening for you). Do you still find this method to be viable, or do you think the salad spinner works better (given time, I suppose)? Thanks again for the awesome videos!
That method works great, especially if you are in a hurry or if you are making a breaded and fried version where is more essential to get rid of moisture before frying n
how long would you brine the eggplant for Kenji?
KENJI. CONFIRMED CLIMATE CHANGE DENIER!!!
Love the vegetarian content, healthy or not.
Haha that is literally the joke. I am anything hit a climate change denier!
I just wanna eat that whole bowl of mozzarella
Kenji, could you share what kind of oven that was? And when do you decide if you’re going to use the larger oven or the countertop oven?
Breville countertop convection oven
@@toin9898 Thank you so much! We happen to need a new one so thank you for the name.
Great video! I made a variant of this a few weeks back and it was absolutely outstanding! Only problem was I felt horrible after eating all the cheese and grease. So I was trying to brainstorm ways one could make a lower calorie version of this. Do you think you baking the eggplant followed by a short broil to brown it would be successful? Then drizzle high quality olive oil to mimic the flavor? Any other thoughts?
You can brush with oil and broil or grill but I would not do it without oil. The eggplant will just dry out
@@JKenjiLopezAlt yeah that makes sense. Grill is a phenomenal idea. Definitely will try that
Thanks a lot Kenji, now I have to go out and get eggplant
How large is that cast iron? I'm jealous!
😊