Moldavian Eggplant Parmesan recipe (fusion of Vegetarian Cuisine from Moldova / Romania / Italy)

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: provolone

Part-skim mozzarella reduces fat while provolone is often less expensive.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grana padano

Nutritional yeast is a vegan alternative, while grana padano is a more affordable cheese.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: canola oil

Avocado oil offers health benefits, while canola is often cheaper.

tomato sauce

🥗Healthier: homemade tomato puree

💰Cheaper: canned tomatoes

Homemade puree can be fresher, and canned tomatoes are usually less expensive.

Start by grinding 8 cloves of garlic in a food processor.

Add 180 g of flour to the garlic in the processor.

Mix in about 2 teaspoons of salt and optionally add 1 teaspoon of dried marjoram.

Grind the mixture until homogeneous, scraping down the sides as necessary.

Slice the eggplant into rounds about 1/4 inch thick using a vegetable peeler.

Toss the eggplant slices in the garlic-flour mixture and let them sit for about an hour to draw out moisture.

Every 5 to 10 minutes, toss the eggplant slices to ensure they become tacky but not gummy.

Heat a heavy non-stick pan over medium to medium-high heat (about 7 on a scale of 1 to 10) and add olive oil.

Cook the eggplant slices in batches, about 8-9 minutes per batch, until golden brown.

After 3 minutes, add more olive oil to keep the eggplant moist and brown evenly.

Flip the eggplant slices after 3 minutes and cook for an additional 1.5 minutes on the original side.

Adjust the heat if necessary to ensure the eggplant cooks evenly and does not burn.

Transfer the cooked eggplant to a plate and wipe the pan clean before starting the next batch.

Repeat the cooking process for all eggplant slices, ensuring to keep the oil in the pan for moisture.

After cooking all the eggplant, you may have leftover flour mixture that can be used for other dishes or discarded.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens