Eggplant Parmigiana Laced with Prosciutto & Smoked Almond Pesto
By Cathi Iannone
Ingredients
4 medium sized eggplants, sliced into ½ inch slices
1 pound of buffalo mozzarella, sliced into thin rounds
8 slices of provolone cheese
1 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese
1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
2 cups of plain bread crumbs
4 large eggs, beaten
2 cups of vegetable oil for frying ( adding as needed)
1 teaspoon of sea salt & ½ teaspoon of ground pepper
½ cup of fresh parsley, chopped
A bunch of fresh basil leaves ( 15, or so, to garnish tops of towers)
1 7- ounce canister of Prosciutto & Smoked Almond Pestos with Panache by Lauren
1 28- ouncejar of marinara sauce (any favorite brand)
Preparation of Eggplant
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add ½ cup of the vegetable oil to a 12 inch skillet pan and heat to medium- high. You want the oil to be hot or the eggplant will soak up too much oil. Slice the eggplant into ½ inch slices, and set aside. Set up breading station for the eggplant by placing the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls. Add the chopped parsley, salt and pepper to the breadcrumbs and combine. Begin breading eggplant by coating lightly in the flour first, then the egg mixture, then finally the breadcrumb mixture. Set aside on a large sheet pan to prepare for frying.
Once all the eggplant is breaded, fry until golden on both sides. Don’t worry about cooking all the way through, as the eggplant will continue to cook as it bakes.
Assemble Towers
In a large, 13×9 baking dish, place a tablespoon of marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan and place the largest fried eggplant slice over the sauce. Spread a tablespoon of sauce over the eggplant slice, then a slice of mozzarella and follow with a light spreading of the Prosciutto and Smoked Almond Pesto onto the mozzarella slice, then a sprinkle of Romano Cheese. Proceed three more times with the same steps, and the eggplant slices gradually getting smaller as you build the towers. With four eggplants, you will be able to build eight towers. Place in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. The last 10 minutes, pull from the oven and place a slice of provolone over the top of each tower and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese cloaks the tower gets a beautiful golden brown! Remove from the oven to cool and garnish with a leaf or two of fresh basil. Save remaining marinara sauce for topping, if desired. These towers are an impressive presentation! The Pestos with Panache gives this holiday dish a unique depth of flavor that will leave your guests begging for this recipe! Buon Appetito!
