Place eggplant rounds in a colander and sprinkle salt over. Let sit 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with paper towel. Meanwhile, make tomato sauce by adding olive oil to a saucepan. Over medium heat add garlic and chili pepper flakes; cook for 1 to 2 minutes before adding tomatoes. Stir, then reduce heat to low to allow the tomatoes to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool a bit, then run through a food mill or use an immersion blender. Don’t purée the tomatoes. Allow the sauce to have small chunks of tomato.
Prepare a dipping station by placing 3 bowls in a row: one for the flour, one for bread crumbs and the other for the eggs. Dredge each eggplant slice into the flour making sure to coat both sides then gently tap to remove any excess flour. Next, dip eggplant into beaten egg and make sure egg coats all of the eggplant and tap to remove excess egg wash. Finally, coat with bread crumbs. Place on a large platter or cutting board. Repeat the process.
In a deep skillet or wok, heat canola oil to 375f. To check if oil is hot enough, toss in a bread crumb. If it sizzles, the oil is ready. Add eggplant in batches and cook one minute per side or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain.
To serve, add a generous spoonful of tomato sauce on the plate followed by eggplant slices, basil leaves, shaved Parmesan and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Buon appetito!
Notes
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Choose eggplants with a taut, slightly resistant skin. To keep the eggplant slices warm while the others are being fried, place on a baking tray lined with paper towel and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Recipe by The Culinary Chase at https://theculinarychase.com/2015/04/fried-eggplant-with-tomato-sauce/