When I was young my mother fried everything, but as I got older she started to bake many things, especially cutlets, to make them healthier. I've kept up that tradition because of the health benefits and because I prefer the taste. They are less greasy and can be equally juicy if you use an instant read food thermometer to make sure that they are not overcooked. These crispy coated pork cutlets, topped with grilled eggplant, smothered in marinara sauce and melted mozzarella were actually inspired by a very bad Italian meal I had on a recent trip to Utah for my daughter’s wedding. The production line meal was greasy and swimming in a tasteless pool of limp tomato sauce. I knew that I could create a much better version of the dish and I think I accomplished it. Please let me know what you think.Makes 8 servings
8 Boneless Pork Chops*
2 large Eggs
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Water
2 C Italian Flavored Bread Crumbs
½ C grated Italian Cheese
2 tsp dried Parsley
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Lg Eggplant
1 TBS Kosher Salt
3 C Marinara Sauce
2 C Shredded Mozzarella
Trim the fat off of the pork chops and pound them to a ½ inch thickness. In the first bowl beat the eggs with 1 tsp of water and 1 tsp of Olive Oil. In a second large bowl mix the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, and garlic powder.
Peel the eggplant and cut into ½ inch slices. Lay the slices out on a paper towel and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Dip each pork cutlet first in the egg then in the breadcrumbs until coated on both sides. Place the cutlet on a greased cookie sheet in the oven until an instant read thermometer reads 145°F (~10-15 minutes). If you prefer, you can fry the cutlets in canola oil until golden brown.
While the cutlets are baking, spray the eggplant with nonstick cooking spray and grill over a medium high heat until they have grill marks.
Remove the cutlets from the oven and place a piece of grilled eggplant on each cutlet. Top each cutlet with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella.
You can prepare this up to 1 day ahead of time if kept covered in a refrigerator.
Place the cutlets in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the marinara in bubbling. Note: if you prepared it the day before it will take at least 30-40 minutes to reheat and have the cheese melt.
* PRONTO SUBSTITUTE
Pork Chops – Substitute thin sliced chicken cutlets or veal cutlets.
