Ahhh, eggplant I can't say enough about it. They have plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant fighting nutrients, so the bottom line is - it's good for you! Leave that beautiful deep purple skin on when you cook it and it's even better for you. True fact - eggplants were first grown in China around the 5th century B.C., before I was born, so they are pretty darn old!
Choose your eggplants carefully when buying. Their appearance should be firm, they should be heavy for their size, the skin should be smooth and shiny, no scars or bruises, and the stem should be green, not dried out and brown. Don't cut your eggplant until you are ready to use it, they brown quickly and it will not look very appetizing. You can salt the eggplant before you use it, to rid it of some of the bitter taste and make it more tender. This is called "sweating" the eggplant (see note). You can cook eggplant in many ways, I think the most common is Eggplant Parmesan. You can use it as an appetizer in caponata, bread it and fry it, stir -fry it, use it in ratatouille, make a sandwich with roasted peppers and provolone. Grill it or roast it, no matter how you make it, it's all good. I made Eggplant Parmesan with my eggplant, recipe below.
To print - click, highlight and print.
I took a U-turn and made it easy on myself, it was Sunday and I was being a little lazy, so I used some pre-packaged stuff instead of the "totally" fresh that I usually do. Everything came out the same, so no probs there.
I peeled my eggplant, because there are those in my family that don't like the skin, they're a little whiny sometimes.
Two eggs, salt and pepper, beat it, just beat it!
While they are cooking, start mixing up your cheese. Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, Mozzarella cheese, 2 eggs, salt, pepper, and fresh chopped parsley.
Layer eggplant, cheese, sauce....
Repeat....
And last layer of sauce on the top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 - 45 minutes.
In the last 10 minutes sprinkle with more Mozzarella cheese, then it's all done and ready to eat with more fresh grated cheese sprinkled on top.
Choose your eggplants carefully when buying. Their appearance should be firm, they should be heavy for their size, the skin should be smooth and shiny, no scars or bruises, and the stem should be green, not dried out and brown. Don't cut your eggplant until you are ready to use it, they brown quickly and it will not look very appetizing. You can salt the eggplant before you use it, to rid it of some of the bitter taste and make it more tender. This is called "sweating" the eggplant (see note). You can cook eggplant in many ways, I think the most common is Eggplant Parmesan. You can use it as an appetizer in caponata, bread it and fry it, stir -fry it, use it in ratatouille, make a sandwich with roasted peppers and provolone. Grill it or roast it, no matter how you make it, it's all good. I made Eggplant Parmesan with my eggplant, recipe below.
To print - click, highlight and print.
I took a U-turn and made it easy on myself, it was Sunday and I was being a little lazy, so I used some pre-packaged stuff instead of the "totally" fresh that I usually do. Everything came out the same, so no probs there.
I use paper plates so I don't have to wash dishes, I told you it was lazy Sunday! Eggs in the bowl, Italian breadcrumbs on one plate and then a clean plate for the breaded eggplant slices.
Bathe the eggplant slices on both sides in the egg, then let them roll around in the breadcrumbs.
Stack them up on that empty plate....
Then start frying those babies up in canola oil.
While they are cooking, start mixing up your cheese. Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, Mozzarella cheese, 2 eggs, salt, pepper, and fresh chopped parsley.
Eggplant is nice and golden brown, drain on paper towels.
Pour some of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.
Layer eggplant, cheese, sauce....
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
Cooking Spray
Canola Oil for frying
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups Italian Seasoned breadcrumbs
1 medium to large eggplant - see note
1 - 15 oz container of part skim Ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups of shredded Mozzarella cheese, reserve 1/2 cup to garnish
1/4 cup Pecorino - Romano cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
1 jar your favorite pasta sauce, or use homemade
Directions
Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray. In a deep frying pan add about 1 1/2 cups of canola oil for frying. Beat the first 2 eggs with the salt and pepper, pour the breadcrumbs onto a plate to bread the eggplant, and use another plate for the breaded eggplant slices. Heat the oil on medium high, add slices and cook until golden brown on both sides, you may have to turn the heat down if your stove gets too hot and they start to burn. Drain cooked slices on paper towels.
While the slices are frying, in a medium bowl mix the Ricotta cheese with 1 cup of the Mozzarella cheese, the Pecorino - Romano and Parmesan cheeses, the other 2 eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix until combined, set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour about 1/2 cup of pasta sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, you may need more if your dish is big. Layer the eggplant slices, overlap them if you need to so they fit in the pan. Drop some of the cheese mixture by spoonfuls over the eggplant, then top with some of the sauce. Repeat until all the eggplant and cheese are used, top with remaining sauce. Place the pan on a baking sheet, in case it bubbles over, and bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is bubbling. In the last 10 minutes of baking, top with the 1/2 cup reserved Mozzarella cheese. Makes 8 servings.
NOTE: To "sweat" the eggplant, line a baking sheet with paper towels, sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt, lay them out on the paper towels for 30 minutes, then rinse and pat the slices dry with clean paper towels. Doing this makes it more tender and takes some of the bitterness out of the eggplant.
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