I went with a simple recipe for my first try. Marinara sauce, mozzarella, breaded eggplant. Baked the eggplant rather than frying it, so the result wouldn't be an instant food coma. So far, so good.

I tried salting and pressing the eggplant, to extract enough moisture for it to not be slimy. Worked—the texture was great everywhere but the top layer, which came out a bit tough (maybe I had the oven on too high?). Downside is that the eggplant absorbed waaay too much salt for my taste. It might not bother someone who's used to the typical amount of salt in American foods, but I don't have one handy to consult. Next time, I'll try the blanch-and-weight-down method.

The sauce was very straightforward. I wasn't able to find canned tomatoes that didn't have calcium chloride (firms up the cell walls), and I think I didn't add enough lemon juice to put the bite back into it.

On the whole, it's not bad, but it's missing something. Right now, it's just a generic Italian-spices-flavored thing.

Suggestions please?