When it comes to new versions of classics I’m greatly opposed.
Some things, you know, cannot be improved upon. I’m loathe to try a bartenders “riff” on any classic cocktail (it is never better than the original), and any time I hear that a dish is “Chef’s version” of a culinary classic, I divert to another ordering scheme.
Worst of all is trying to improve upon a favored childhood dish, the memories of which are usually so strong that to alter it would be to deny your very existence!
Except that is just what I have done.
Case in point: my mother’s Eggplant Parmesan.
We are not Italian, so I don’t even know if her version was proper to begin with, but I have strong taste memories. My mom would make it often - every 6 weeks or so; 18 years of that and you end up putting away a healthy amount of eggplant once it’s all accounted for.
There was no breading in her version, so it was really simple: just a big mess of eggplant, tomato sauce, and cheese. The more cheese, the better.
As I got older and became more confident in the kitchen, I refused to try the dish myself. I wanted to eat it when I visited home, afraid my own experiments would only leave me craving the original.
And then, I changed my mind.
I wanted to give that experience to my own son, but I had a few qualms with my mom’s version. I wanted it easier to eat, less saucy, a bit lighter, with more texture and more vegetables. I was not concerned about maintaining any authenticity, but instead just making a great dish, Italian in style, that would please my family.
Readers and friends, I believe I’ve found that, and I wanted to share my version with you. I’ve been making this dish on repeat for several months, and while many folks requested the recipe, I resisted, as it’s more complicated than my typical recipe (only by a bit), and involves more steps.
I love this for a Saturday or Sunday dinner. I prep the whole thing in the morning and keep it in the fridge to bake off in the evening - it makes dinner wonderfully easy. Just the kind of thing for sharing with old friends, when you want to spend time chatting over cocktails, not fretting over cooking or cleaning.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to A Small and Simple Thing to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.