The non-stop supply of Falafel, Israeli Salad (Tomato and Cucumber), Cabbage Salad (affectionately dubbed: the purple stuff), Hummus, Tuna Salad, Tehina, Tabouli, Salad, Salad, Salad is making me go crazy!! I needed a taste of home. Something hearty, italian, tomatoey and cheesy. I decided to make eggplant parmesan, but give it a little bit of Israeli flair. Let me explain:
I started with the sauce. I sauteed onions with Zata’ar, a popular spice here and one that I previously blogged about, and with mushrooms.
When those are nice and sauteed, add the Tomato Puree from the can and let it boil and simmer for as long as you are patient. Add salt and pepper. That’s it. It’s actually ridiculously easy, and I make enough to use for 2-3 more meals. The taste of home can stretch!
Next, start on the eggplant. Ready two plates next to each other. This is the breading station. Beat some eggs and put them on the first plate. Then mix flower with some of those Israeli spices. This is where the flair comes in. This is where it get’s exciting to be abroad and not in your parents house!
Dip the eggplant slices (a little over a cm think [that’s right! Metric!]) in the egg, then in the flour mix, then in the egg again, then in the flour mix again. I like to double dip because you get a more even coat. Then put a hefty amount of oil in a pan and fry eggplants until the insides are soft.
When they are all done, coat the bottom side of a casserole dish (I used a metal sheet with aluminum foil because I had none) with some of the sauce. Then arrange the slices on the casserole and coat with more sauce. Finally, put a slice of mozzarella on top. This was actually the hardest step considering how difficult it is to find mozzarella in this country… Put them in the oven. I don’t really get the C to F conversion, so I can’t really tell you the best heat, but hot is good.
Leave it in until everything is mushy, melty and hot. Everything is already cooked the exact timing is not really all that important. Finally, serve it on a plate with all sorts of Israeli goodies. (Also, I scrambled the remaining egg from the breading stage).
Oh wait… Wasn’t I trying to avoid all these salads in the first place? Either way, it was an amazing meal, and I got just that little bit less homesick.
Aaron Strick is a Masa participant studying at the University of Haifa, one of Masa Israel’s 160 programs.
