I think that the first time I ever made eggplant parmigiana was in 1979. Back then, it was the "typical pizza parlor" dish with eggplant fried in vegetable oil and then covered with that Polly-O mozzarella cheese "stuff" that was wrapped in plastic and tasted as such, dusted with Parmigiano "cheese" that had the consistency of baby powder from a can that looked (and tasted) like something you would dust on your feet after a work-out and shower. The sauce was....well, it was.
Oh, how times have changed, and changed, and changed again.
As I look back, I realize that was a long, long time ago. Since then, I've explored and made cuisines from all over the world. But getting back on track and a blast from the past and recent past and more recently, I made eggplant parmigiana. Yes, I made eggplant parmigiana. Not a typo. I think the first time I made this "nuvo" recipe was during a major snowstorm in early 2010. And that was the first time I made eggplant parmigiana since 1979. And I liked it. Probably because it's not the typical fried eggplant smothered in plastic and/or powdered cheese. The eggplant is baked instead of fried. I use low-fat mozzarella cheese and panko in lieu of bread crumbs.
I adapted this recipe from Mario Batali's cookbook, Molto Italiano, 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home.
About a week ago, after purchasing a beautiful white eggplant, I decided to revisit the recipe and make a "white and purple" eggplant parmigiana. No plastic or baby powder in this one. It was very good, tasty and light.