I know — I have been away from this blog and my RSS feed for wayyy too long. But, you can blame it on the taxes. (And nope, I’m not trying to involve any political subjects!) I mean it really.
First, two days after my trip to Chicago, I went to Puerto Rico for 5 days (arrived just after the hurricane and left just before the next storm!), and then I was back to San Fran, but submerged under a load of readings about tax laws and corporate law. (And a bunch of other things too, but no need to list them all.)

Still, to make you forgive me for this absence, I’m coming back with one of the best comfort foods: Eggplant Parmesan. Whether you are reading about taxes or not, the combination of 4 different cheeses melted over the eggplant and tomato sauce will make the end of your day perfect!

Btw, I have not forgotten about my promise to tell you more about my Chicago trip! (Although I’m quite late with that, I know!) But I’ve just finally managed to recount most of it in Part 1 here and Part 2 here.  If you are interested in just the deep-dish pizza at Gino’s East, Part 2 is the one you want to look at. And if you want to see ALL of my pictures (quite a few!) from the trip, you can visit my gallery here.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium eggplant (1-1.5lb)
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp bread crumbs
• 1 cup roasted red pepper tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese blend of Asiago, Fontina, & Parmesan
• 1/3-1/4 chopped Parsley/basil

Directions

1. If the eggplant skin is thick, peel it. Otherwise, simply cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Salt each slice on both sides and place them aside so the bitter juice can be removed. (You can skip this last part if you don’t have much time.)
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush the baking pan you’ll be using with a bit of oil.
3. In a a soup plate, mix the flour and the bread crumbs. Then the mixture to bread the eggplants slices.
4. In a large skillet, heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When hot, place the breaded eggplant slices, cooking for about 3-4 minutes each side. (They should be crispy and golden on the outside and rather soft on the inside.) Do not crowd the skillet, but instead, work in batches, draining the already cooked slices on some paper towels.
5. Mix together the different cheeses.
6. If using a large pan, spread the tomato sauce over the pan. Then top with the eggplant slices. Then with the cheese and finally, with the parsley. If using a small pan, you’ll have to divide everything into two and layer the ingredients (tomato sauce – eggplant – cheese – tomato sauce – eggplant – cheese – parsley).
7. Bake for about 20-25minutes.