MAKE THE Eggplant Parmesan

Photos: William Hereford

YIELD

2 servings (plus leftover garlic oil and sauce)

INGREDIENTS

Sauce
Extra-virgin olive oil, 1 cup
Garlic cloves, 15 (peeled and left whole)
Whole fennel seeds, 1½ teaspoons
Whole canned tomatoes (preferably San Marzano tomatoes), two 28-ounce cans (one can drained of juice, the juice from the other can reserved)
Dried red pepper flakes (preferably Calabrian chile flakes), ½ teaspoon
Kosher salt, ¾ teaspoon
Large basil sprig, 1
Eggplant Parmesan
Extra-virgin olive oil, 6 tablespoons
Japanese eggplant, 2 (sliced on a bias into ¼-inch-thick pieces)
Garlic clove, 1 (very thinly sliced)
Dried red pepper flakes (preferably Calabrian chile flakes), ½ teaspoon
Fresh mozzarella cheese, ⅓ pound (thinly sliced crosswise into 9 pieces)
Finely grated Pecorino cheese, ½ cup
Leaves of 2 marjoram sprigs
Breadcrumbs
Extra-virgin olive oil, 1½ teaspoons
Unsalted butter, ½ tablespoon
Fresh breadcrumbs, ½ cup

EQUIPMENT

Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Measuring cups and spoons
Box grater
Small heavy-bottomed saucepan
Paring knife
Small skillet
Spice grinder
Mixing bowls
Medium saucepan
Wooden spoon
Medium skillet
Tongs
Paper towels
Baking sheet
1-quart baking dish
Small skillet
Plates

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the sauce: To a heavy-bottomed small saucepan set over low heat, add the:

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 15 whole garlic cloves

Cook gently until the garlic is golden and tender (a paring knife will easily slip into the center of the biggest clove), stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
While the garlic poaches in the oil, in a small skillet set over medium heat, add the:

• 1½ teaspoons fennel seeds

Toast the fennel seeds until fragrant and golden, 1½ to 2 minutes. Cool, then pulverize until powder-fine in a spice grinder.
In a medium bowl, add the:

• Whole canned tomatoes

Use your fingers to roughly shred the tomatoes, placing the shredded tomatoes in a separate medium bowl and discarding the seeds. Once the garlic is golden and tender, transfer the garlic and half of the oil (save the remaining infused garlic oil for another use) to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Add the shredded tomatoes to the pan along with the:

• Reserved tomato juice (from the can of whole tomatoes)
• Ground fennel seeds
• ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Simmer the sauce for 1 hour, then add the:

• Basil sprig

Turn off the heat and cool slightly before removing the basil sprig and passing the sauce through a food mill (if using a food processor, remove the basil sprig and garlic cloves and pulse until the sauce is semi-smooth).
2. Make the eggplant Parm: Preheat the oven to 350°. To a medium skillet set over medium-high heat, add:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Half of the eggplant slices

Make sure the eggplant is in an even layer without overlapping. Cook until the eggplant is browned, 2 to 3 minutes, and then use the tongs to turn the eggplant over. Around the edges of the pan, drizzle in:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Once the eggplant starts to sizzle, add:

• Half of the sliced garlic

Cook the eggplant until the other side is browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the eggplant and garlic to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining olive oil, eggplant and garlic until all of it is browned.
3. To the 1-quart baking dish, add 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce and cover with one-third of the cooked eggplant. Top with one-third of the:

• Sliced mozzarella
• Finely grated Pecorino cheese

Repeat twice, creating 3 layers and ending with the last one-third of the Pecorino.
4. Bake the eggplant Parmesan until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Adjust an oven rack to the uppermost position and heat the broiler to high. Move the baking dish to the top rack and broil the eggplant Parmesan until the cheese is browned and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes (watch the cheese closely, as broiler intensities vary). Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
5. While the eggplant Parmesan cools, make the breadcrumbs. In a small skillet set over medium heat, add the:

• 1½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ tablespoon unsalted butter

Swirl the pan often until the butter is melted, then add the:

• ½ cup breadcrumbs

Cook, stirring often, until the breadcrumbs are golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the toasted breadcrumbs out onto a plate.
Sprinkle the cooled eggplant Parmesan with the toasted breadcrumbs and the:

• Marjoram leaves

Slice into pieces and serve.