Dora Barbaresi (my grandmother) and Freddie Donroe on their wedding day in September 1940.
Freddie was the son of Francis Donarumo and Margherita Avallone who were both immigrants from Naples in southern Italy. Freddie was the youngest (and, as Nonni is quick to point out, the tallest) of their nine children. Once they were of age, Freddie and his brothers and sisters all anglicized their last name to Donroe, and that’s the name that Nonni took. To my knowledge, this is the origin of all the Donroes in this country, for better or for worse.
Eggplant Parmesan
This is one of my favorites. The eggplant is divine, but I also love finding morsels of Italian sausage, or Nonni’s meatballs, tucked within the layers.
1 large eggplant (or 2 smaller ones)
¼ cup canola oil, or more
3 eggs
2 cups flour (or bread crumbs)
1 recipe homemade tomato sauce, sausage included
½ cup Parmesan cheese, or more
Salt to taste
Cut eggplant into ¼-inch thick slices. Heat oil in large frying pan. Dip eggplant slices in egg and then flour. Fry until golden brown on each side, adding more oil as necessary, and set on paper towels to drain. Season with salt.
Preheat oven to 300°F. In a 9x12-inch pan, put a thin layer of tomato sauce. Add layers of fried eggplant, tomato sauce (with sausage cut into pieces), and Parmesan cheese, ending with cheese on top. Bake for about half an hour, or until warmed through.
Dora [Barbaresi] Donroe
New Haven, Connecticut
1918 -
Stack of crispy, fried eggplant, pre-sauce.
Awesome!
Posted by: Dad | March 10, 2007 at 01:07 PM
Have you ever heard of the power of eggplant parm. to start labor? I thought it was a joke. I made eggplant parm. on a Friday night. I went to the hospital Saturday morning, and my son was born the next morning. Maybe just the power of suggestion ...
Posted by: squeezyB | March 10, 2007 at 01:34 PM
I did hear that. It didn't work for me, though. But I'd still recommend it purely for morale purposes.
Posted by: Tammy | March 10, 2007 at 02:16 PM
I need a good eggplant parmesan recipe. My guess is Nonni's is probably one of the best, so I'll be trying it soon.. and by soon, I mean - soon. I finally got Hubbs to eat eggplant (I made rollatini the other night) and he actually liked it - even after all of his poo poo'ing. Party on!
Posted by: Lisa | March 10, 2007 at 05:30 PM
Lisa, you won't be disapointed - this is my favorite eggplant parm, and even though I am an Irish boy, I consider myself an expert. The breadcrumb make the eggplant nice and crispy. The (spicy hot) sausage makes it extra-good!
Posted by: Husband | March 10, 2007 at 06:54 PM
However, you may be "disapointed" in my spelling/typing skills (or lack thereof).
Posted by: Husband | March 10, 2007 at 06:54 PM
Thanks, hubby. If only you played Scrabble the way you type, then I'd have a fighting chance of winning once in a while.
Lisa, I should note that 1 recipe of sauce, as indicated, makes the bare minimum of sauce for this eggplant. If you're a sauce person, and I think you are, you might want to double the sauce recipe so you have more flexibility. Of course, it sounds like you already have your own favorite sauce recipe!
Posted by: Tammy | March 11, 2007 at 08:48 PM
I HATE making eggplant parm because of all the messy frying.
BUT I think I will have it give it a try in combination with your sauce (and I will double it).
My pregnant cousin's due date is 8/21. I think I'll tell her about the eggplant/inducing labor and use her as a test case :-)
Posted by: NancyB | August 08, 2012 at 11:47 AM