Baked Eggplant Parmesan with olives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash the eggplant and slice into 1/4 inch slices (skin on or off, as preferred).

In one shallow bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, a dash of salt, a dash of black pepper, a dash of chili powder, and a dash of garlic powder. In a second shallow bowl, place the milk and eggs and beat them together.

Drizzle olive oil into a baking pan to prepare it for the eggplant slices.

Dip each eggplant slice first in the flour/cornmeal mixture, then in the egg wash, and then back into the flour/cornmeal mixture. Place the coated eggplant slices on the prepared baking pan. Repeat for all slices.

Bake the eggplant slices until golden brown.

Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the sliced onion and chopped garlic, and sauté until the garlic is fragrant and the onion is translucent.

Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, capers with a little juice, sliced sweet cherry peppers, chopped black olives, dashes of black pepper, dashes of ground oregano, and dashes of red pepper flakes to the pan. Gently simmer the sauce.

Prepare a second baking pan by drizzling olive oil and adding a spoonful of the sauce. Arrange a layer of baked eggplant slices in the pan.

Top the eggplant layer with sauce, slices of Monterey Jack cheese, and grated Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers of eggplant, sauce, and cheeses.

Finish the dish with a top layer of sauce, both cheeses, and a final drizzle of olive oil.

Bake the assembled Eggplant Parmesan at 350 degrees F.