Your ultimate guide to making the coziest, cheesiest, crispiest eggplant parmesan

Abbondanza — Italian for "abundance" — is a bi-monthly column from writer Michael La Corte in which the author shares his tips for making traditional Italian-American recipes even better. Casserole style Many Italian-American households make eggplant parm in what I call "casserole style," almost akin to how you'd make a ricotta-and-meat-free lasagna but with breaded and fried eggplant slices instead of pasta sheets or lasagna noodles. If you're accustomed to this "casserole style," feel free to stick with it, but potentially stick the fried eggplant on top of your red sauce before covering with cheese to preserve the breading's crispiness. Rennet While eggplant parm is the customary go-to vegetarian "parm" dish, many true-blue vegetarians are adamant about not consuming anything that has the name "parmesan" alongside it. *** Crispy Eggplant Parmesan Yields 6-8 servings Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 1 hour, plus time for cooling Ingredients 2-3 large eggplants or 6-8 small eggplants, peeled, cut however you'd like, salted about 5 to 10 minutes prior to cooking and then patted dry 3/4 cup all-purpose flour Kosher salt, to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided 2 teaspoons onion powder, divided 3 eggs 1 1/2 cup panko 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 cups Parmesan, divided 2 cups neutral oil Flaky salt 2 to 3 cups red sauce 3 to 4 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian blend 1 stick butter, cut into small squares, cold 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup fresh basil Directions Prepare your standard breading procedure: In three shallow plates, divide the flour, egg-milk mixture and panko.