AMAZING CRISPY BAKED EGGPLANT STACK

                     Amazing Crispy Eggplant (yeah!!) Stack

                   It's snowing outside this morning so I have a perfect opportunity to share this. I have been working on this recipe and I am really anxious to get it out to ya'll. I think it's one of the most amazing things I have ever come up with! It's somewhere between eggplant parmesan and eggplant lasagna but really different. I really like eggplant ... WHEN it is done well. I DON"T like it when it is greasy or mooshy or seedy or tough. Those are all reasons why this is so great. This is sliced THIN and BAKED in the oven! One regular eggplant will make four large servings. I make my regular red sauce but add 2 cans of the new "fire roasted" style tomatoes. Be sure you don't use the "tex mex" style because there are jalapenos in them and the sauce will get REALLY hot! I used them in some chicken chili last month and whoa baby was it hot! I couldn't figure out what in the hell I had put in it to get it so hot til I pulled the can out of the trash and read the ingredients. I also used about a half a bottle of good red wine and we like our sauce on the sweet side so I always add some brown sugar to taste. The slightly sweet sauce goes really good with the eggplant. (You could use jarred sauce if you must, then just doctor it up with these additions) I'd be happy to share how I make my sauce if anybody wants me to -just ask. I let the sauce cook all day uncovered to really reduce it to a super thick, intensely flavorful deliciousness. Wash your eggplant really good then with your peeler, peel off alternating strips lengthwise so you leave some skin. Cut it in half lengthwise and using a mandoline, slice LENGTHWISE sideways in skinny, super thin (like 1/8th") strips. Then repeat with 2nd half. Lay all the strips out in a single layer on a sheet pan or cutting board. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cover with paper towels. This will sweat some of the moisture out. You can set up a dredging line while they sweat. 3 wide dishes; in one, plain flour; in one, 2 beaten eggs; in the last one mix together 2 cups panko breadcrumbs, zest of a lemon, a heaping tablespoon of fine yellow cornmeal and salt and pepper to taste. I am not a real big salt user and you have already salted the eggplant to sweat. Plus you'll have cheese which is salty and a good flavorful sauce too. Set some racks (your cookie-cooling racks are perfect) on some cookie sheets. Blot the eggplant with the paper towels and blot with some more dry paper towels if they're still wet. Dip the strips in the flour, then the egg, then the Panko, turning and pressing the Panko on to coat well. Gently place the coated strips onto the prepared racks and let them air dry for awhile...the longer the better. An hour is good, all day is great. Drizzle them with a tiny bit of olive oil just before you bake them in a 375 degree oven til they are light golden brown and really crispy -about 20 minutes or so and turn them once during that time. You can pull one out and dip it in your sauce to taste for doneness/crunchiness. (This also makes awesome appetizer/snacking food!) Each serving will be 6 pieces. Next I move them on the racks close together into 3's and cover them with mozzarella. Move them up to the broiler to melt the cheese. Now you're ready to plate! Pick a pretty plate that will set off the red sauce. Ladle a puddle of sauce across the plate and sprinkle it well with some good grated parmesan -I ALWAYS forget this step!  Then set a "threesome" of eggplant on the sauce, ladle more sauce -don't smother it! -you want to see the stack- sprinkle more parm then set another set of eggplant- crosswise from the first and top with a nice spoonful of sauce and a little more parm. EAT IT NOW!!!