At 90, my mom is aging rapidly. Here she was a couple of years ago after the slide began but while she was still fairly alert (at least she still knew who I was).

Before she got sick, one of the foods she loved, but rarely treated herself to, was eggplant parmigiana subs. She especially liked the subs at our local pizza shop here in Dover. It was a major treat when she would visit and we would go out for our eggplant parmigiana subs. So when I picked up a whole bunch of eggplants on the farm in the Catskills, I decided to use some to make eggplant parmigiana subs in her honor.

Oh, she would have loved these. The hoagie rolls were the perfect texture to meld with the sauce and create just the right amount of bread to eggplant to sauce in each bite.

My words of advice, make sure the eggplant is really cooked through and soft. Over-cooked is better than undercooked.

Eggplant Parmigiana Sub

from FoodNetwork.com

1 large firm eggplant

3 large eggs (from Farmer Kim)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup olive oil, approximately

6 Italian style hoagie rolls, warmed in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 5 minutes before serving

1 cup part-skim Mozzarella, shredded

2 cups prepared marinara sauce, warm

Directions

Slice the eggplant crosswise about 1/4 to 3/8-inch thick – make slices as consistent as possible. If the base of the eggplant is very large, cut it in half lengthwise. Soak the sliced eggplant in a large bowl of warm, salted water for 1 to 2 hours. Make sure the eggplant is completely submerged in the salt water.

Scramble the 3 eggs with salt and pepper to make an egg wash. Remove eggplant slices from the salt bath, shake off excess moisture, and dip into egg wash. Then dip the eggplant slices, 1 at a time, into a flat plate filled with seasoned bread crumbs, covering all surfaces, and set aside. Continue breading the eggplant until all slices are done. Discard excess egg wash and bread crumbs.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan and allow it to heat up. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.)

Add the breaded eggplant slices to the pan, cover and cook until you begin to see the eggplant become translucent, about 5 minutes. If it begins to burn, lower heat and allow it to cook slowly. Using a large spatula, turn eggplant onto the other side and cook 1 to 2 more minutes with the lid on until eggplant is completely tender.

When eggplant is completely cooked, remove from frying pan and place onto paper towels to blot any excess oil.

Place 2 or 3 eggplant slices onto warmed Italian roll, top with shredded mozzarella cheese, then warm marinara sauce.

Enjoy! Makes 6.

Makes 6.