Eggplant Parmesan (Gluten-free option)

   

Photo provided by eclecticrecipes.com

       Ever dread going to an Italian restaurant to find that the only things gluten-free on the menu are salad and wine? Sure there's some establishments out there that serve meats and veggies but their side dishes usually consist of regular bread or pasta that's full of gluten. And unless the owner and grown up kids running the place are gluten sensitive it's gonna be rabbit food and booze for the rest of the meal.
       I have found one lovely place in Albuquerque, and only one anywhere so far, where the Paisanos and their adult children working in the restaurant were celiacs and had almost everything on their menu easily gluten-free optioned. One of their gluten-free choices on the menu is Eggplant Parmesan. Normally, eggplant parmesan is dipped in a batter or encrusted in bread crumbs, either of which usually contain gluten.
       This eggplant parmesan recipe makes delicious crispy battered eggplant slices topped with easy homemade marinara sauce about 2 - 3 servings.

Eggplant Parmesan (gluten-free option)

One large eggplant
1 cup Gluten-free pancake or waffle mix
1 egg
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup of water
1/2 - 1 cup of vegetable oil
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 package of gluten free spaghetti or marinara sauce
4 oz. of mozzarella slices

Eggplant Parmesan Sauce
1.) Heat 1 can of stewed tomatoes and package of spaghetti or marinara sauce in a small saucepan until bubbly, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and set sauce aside.

Fried Eggplant
1.) Cut eggplant into 1/3 inch slices and place onto paper towels so that each slice is flat on the paper towels for 15-30 minutes to allow moisture to be pulled out of the eggplant.
Flip over eggplant slices and allow moisture to seep into the paper towels for another 15-30 minutes.

2.) In a medium size bowl mix together pancake or waffle mix, cornstarch, grated parmesan cheese, egg, sugar, garlic salt and about 1/2 cup of water. Mixture should be thick.
Add additional water by a tablespoon at a time and mix in between spoonfuls until consistency is like thin pancake batter while still being thicker than crepe batter. You may need to add more water to get the slightly runny consistency for this batter.

3.) Add 1/4 inch of oil to a large frying pan and heat on medium-high.

4.) Fully dip eggplant slices into batter and place into hot oil in the pan. Fry for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown and turn over. Continue cooking for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown.

5.) Take done pieces of eggplant out of the pan and place onto plates lined with paper towels to drain oil.

6.) Place cooked eggplant slices into a baking dish and top with sauce and mozzarella slices.

7.) Broil for about 1 - 2 minutes until cheese has melted and serve.

     This batter recipe can also be use to make delicious golden crispy fried onion rings, or other vegetables.
     The tomato sauce can be of choice if you don't want to make your own.
     Grated parmesan cheese can be used as a topping instead of mozzarella cheese and skip the broiling.
     Other cooked vegetables can be layered on top of the eggplant such as onions, zucchini or mushrooms.