eggplants!

eggplants are everywhere at the farmers' market!.....now is the season!.....you can buy
3 for $1.00 right now!  (and in the grocery store they are selling them for $1.99/lb.---
don't know where they even come from!)

since i absolutely adore eggplants, and especially eggplant parmesan, i am frying up
discs of eggplant now to freeze and then enjoy whenever i get the urge for some
wonderful, cheesey, gooey eggplant parmesan this winter!

i always peel the eggplant.....that's just my personal liking.....into rounds, not lengthwise (another
personal likeness)...with so many eggplants, i just load up the peeled sliced discs on a paper
towel lined baking sheet.  then i dip each slice of eggplant into beaten egg and then lightly
coat with italian breadcrumbs.  these i layer on parchment lined baking sheets.  at this point,
if you don't have the time, just saran the baking sheets and get back to them later in the day
to fry them.

i usually don't salt and weight down the eggplant.  i don't find eggplant bitter and love the seeds!

so i don't have a mess in my kitchen with splattered oil, i usually fry up the eggplant in a large
pot filled with about 3 inches of vegetable oil.  once the oil is hot, i put as many slices of eggplant
as will fit and let them cook to a golden brown and then flip each one of the slices over.  (they tend
to really cook up fast)  i lay the cooked slices out on paper towel to drain the excess oil.

this is where i have to control myself ~ hot, crisp eggplant out of the pot is my downfall and i can
easily sample way too many slices!

i layer the cooked, cooled eggplant slices in freezer bags between sheets of parchment and freeze
the bags.

when i am in the mood for eggplant parmesan, i just take out as many slices as i want and then
proceed with the sauce and mozzarella and i am good to go! (with very little fuss or work!)