Nancy Verde Barr's Eggplant Parmesan

From my favorite cookbook: We Called it Macaroni, an American Heritage of Southern Italian cooking,

By Nancy Verde Barr

1 medium eggplant, about 1 ¼ lbs. 1 ½ cups tomato sauce

salt and pepper 4 large eggs

olive oil 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese

1. Peel the eggplant and cut it into paper-thin slices. Place in a colander, salting each layer, and place a plate and weight on top. Let sit at least 1 hour to draw out the water. Dry with paper towels and squeeze gently but firmly with your hands to remove excess liquid.

2. Beat the eggs, salt, and pepper together in a pie pan.

3. Pour a little over ¼ inch oil in to a 10 or 12 inch frying pan. Heat the oil to 375F. Working with a few slices at a time, dip the eggplant into the egg, hold up to drain off excess egg, and slide into the hot oil. Cook a few seconds on each side, removing as soon as slightly golden. Drain on paper towel or brown paper bags.

4. Layer the cooked eggplant and tomato sauce into an ovenproof shallow pan or dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the top layer and bake in a 400F oven 10 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.