These eggplant patties, stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella are incredibly delicious. These were a staple in our family for Sunday dinners.
Please note…these freeze beautifully. So I like to make a lot all at once and save for a later time.
Grandpa’s Eggplant
Ingredients
(Makes about 12-15 Patties)
1 ½ lbs. Eggplant, peeled and cut into ¼ inch slices
1 Cup Flour
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
3 Eggs, beaten
Olive Oil for frying
Filling
1 cup Ricotta
1 cup Grated Pecorino
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
2 tbsp. Parsley, chopped
6 oz. Mozzarella, Sliced
Topping
Sauce (See recipe below)
8 oz. Mozzarella, shredded
1/3 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano
Method
Make your marinara. See my recipe below.
On the stove, heat up olive oil in a large frying pan.
In a bowl, season the flour with salt and pepper. Combine.
Dip each piece of eggplant on both sides in the flour, shaking off any excess flour. Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until the flour is golden and the eggplant cooks through. Once a piece is fried remove from the pan and put on a piece of paper towel to drain any excess oil. Fry up all the eggplant in the same method.
In the meantime, make the filling in a bowl combine the ricotta, pecorino, salt, pepper and parsley.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs.
Once the eggplants are cooked, take half of the pieces and top with a large dollop of the ricotta mixture in the middle and pat the dollop down a little with the spoon. Top each piece with a similar size piece of eggplant. You want the sizes to be the same because each patty is almost like a sandwich. Push down each sandwich a little to seal a bit.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Add more oil to your frying pan (if needed) and heat up.
Next dip each patty in the flour on each side, including the sides. Then dip on both sides in the egg, shaking off any excess. Immediately add to the heated oil and fry each patty on each side until slightly golden brown and cooked through.
Put a layer of tomato sauce on a large baking pan. Lay out the patties on top of the sauce. Evenly top with more sauce, some Pecorino and the shredded mozzarella.
Bake until the mozzarella is melted. Serve
Marinara (Tomato Sauce)
**Note this makes about 10 cups of sauce which is more than you will need for this recipe. However, you can save for later, or make this recipe with some pasta.
Ingredients
Makes about 10 Cups of Sauce
½ Cup Olive Oil
12 Garlic Cloves
¼ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
4 Cans (28 Ounce) WholeTomatoes
15 Basil Leaves
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Pecorino Romano End (Optional)
Method
Put the olive oil in a sauce pot with the garlic and red pepper flakes. Slowly sauté on a low flame until the garlic is fork tender.
Purée three cans of tomatoes. I put one can at a time in the blender and pulse about 15 times. The fourth can I put in a bowl and crush by hand.
Raise the heat to medium and add the tomatoes immediately.
Bring to a simmer (about 10 minutes) and reduce the heat to low.
Add salt, pepper, basil and the Pecorino end to the sauce.
Simmer for about 15 minutes more and add in the basil. I like to use my hands and tear the leaves up as I put them in the sauce.
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or you can freeze and save for a later date.