Eggplant Parmesan

Tags

basil, breadcrumbs, Cook's Illustrated, eggplant, garlic, Italian, tomato

I’m a little late in getting in the Christmas spirit. I’m still trying to get there, and am starting to feel like I’m really running behind. I’ve just now sort of started my Christmas shopping, and in terms of Christmas baking… well, I have ideas and plans, so now I just need to motivation and spirit to get started! Hopefully soon. 🙂

In the meantime, it is super cold  here. Not compared to places where it snows and whatnot, but it’s cold for my area, and it’s very cold to work outdoors in! It’s times like this that warm comfort food is perfect. And for me, at least, Eggplant Parmesan fits that bill. It’s my favorite Italian dish of all times. Yes, it is a little time consuming with multiple steps and components, but so worth it! Especially since this recipe is baked instead of fried, so it’s healthier than your standard Eggplant Parmesan, and certainly doesn’t lack in flavor like some healthier alternatives sometimes do.

Salting the eggplant helps remove some of the bitterness from the eggplant, and remove some excess liquid so you don’t end up with watery Eggplant Parmesan. You make your own simple sauce, which could be skipped to make things a little simpler if desired. And the really unique thing about this recipe is that you leave edges of the eggplant exposed while baking it, so it doesn’t end up all soggy and mushy, but instead has some crunch to it! Gotta love a variety of textures! I serve it alongside some spaghetti with tomato sauce, olive oil and garlic, or butter and Parmesan to keep things simple and purely Italian! 🙂 Enjoy!Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant:
2 pounds globe eggplant, cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided
8 slices high-quality white bread, torn into quarters
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Tomato Sauce:
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup fresh basil leaves chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
10 fresh basil leaves torn, for garnish

To prepare the eggplant: Toss half of eggplant slices and 1½ teaspoons kosher salt in large bowl until combined; transfer salted eggplant to large colander set over bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant and kosher salt, adding second batch to colander. Let stand until eggplant releases about 2 tablespoons liquid, 30 to 45 minutes. Arrange eggplant slices on a triple layer of paper towels; cover with another triple layer paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible, then wipe off excess salt.

While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees F. Pulse bread in food processor to fine, even crumbs, about fifteen 1-second pulses. Transfer crumbs to pie plate and stir in 1 cup Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper; set aside.

Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in large zipper-lock bag; shake to combine. Lightly whisk eggs in a second pie plate. Place 8 to 10 eggplant slices in bag with flour; seal bag and shake to coat eggplant. Remove eggplant slices, shaking off excess flour, then dip in eggs and let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; set breaded slices on wire rack. Repeat with remaining eggplant.

Remove preheated baking sheets from oven; add 3 tablespoons oil to each sheet, tilting to coat evenly with oil. Place breaded eggplant on the sheets in a single layer; bake about 30 minutes, until eggplant is well browned and crisp, switching and rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes, and flipping eggplant slices with wide spatula after 20 minutes. Leave oven on.

To make the tomato sauce: While eggplant bakes, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is light golden and fragrant; stir in the crushed and diced tomatoes. Bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To assemble: Spread 1 cup tomato sauce on bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit. Spread 1 cup sauce over eggplant and sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Layer remaining eggplant and dot with 1 cup sauce, leaving majority of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 degrees F for 13 to 15 minutes, until bubbling and cheese is browned. Cool 10 minutes; scatter basil over top, and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce separately.

Source: Slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated January 2004

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Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin

Tags

eggplant, Parmesan, ratatouille, tomato, zucchini

The last two days, I got to go play with goats! A bunch of cute, cuddly baby goats. 🙂 One of our volunteers at work just got a couple wee bitty babies who are about as big as small dogs, and my coworker/best friend and I got to go play with them and the two older goats. Then yesterday, we went to the ranch of a work vendor (she does goat rentals) and we got to see her adorable bottle babies. They were so cute and cuddly, and just wanted love and attention! Sorry, I’m a huge goat fan, and if I ever get enough property, I’m so getting goats. My love of goats follows my trend of loving animals that most people don’t consider cute… rhinos and sea turtles are my top two favorite animals. 🙂

In honor of the goats, I decided to post a vegetarian dish today. A very uncommon thing in my repertoire since I’m not a big vegetable fan and would probably starve if I didn’t have my meaty proteins to fill me up! But, here we have it. A truly delicious vegetarian dish from none other than the famous Julia Child. This was the first recipe of hers I have ever tried as they tend to be complicated and long, hence quite intimidating. She calls this gratin a simple version of ratatouille, and it is decadent in its presentation and in its flavor. I changed how I sliced things just because I wanted everything to be rounds, instead of some rounds and some long slices. I would highly recommend this gratin whether it be for your family or for entertaining guests. Personally, I definitely plan on making this again, and hopefully trying some other Julia Child recipes soon!Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin

½ cup olive oil, divided
2 Japanese eggplants
2 medium zucchini, about 1 pound total
3 or 4 ripe tomatoes, about 1 pound total
1 tablespoon herbs de Provence, divided
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Arrange the rack on the lower-middle level of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Pour ⅓ cup olive oil onto a baking sheet, and gently tilt it to evenly disperse the oil.

Trim off ends of eggplant and slice crosswise on the diagonal into ½-inch thick slices. One at a time, dip the slices in the oil on the sheet, pressing to lightly coat one side with oil. Arrange the slices on the sheet, oiled side up, in a single layer and sprinkle on ½ teaspoon each of salt and herbs de Provence. Bake for about 15 minutes until the eggplant slices are soft and somewhat shriveled; allow to cool briefly.

Meanwhile, trim the ends off the zucchini and cut crosswise on the diagonal into slices about ¼-inch thick. Salt the zucchini and let it sit for about 15 minutes then wipe off the moisture; this will work to pull excess moisture from the zucchini so the gratin isn’t watery. Slice the tomatoes into ¼-inch thick slices.

In a gratin dish, or a similar sized 11 by 7-inch baking dish, lay three or four eggplant slices against the narrow side of the dish. Arrange four or five zucchini slices in front of the eggplant slices, and three or four tomato slices in front of the zucchini. Repeat vegetable rows until the pan is full of alternating rows of eggplant, zucchini, and tomato, placing them so the colorful top edges of the previous row are still visible. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence and drizzle 1½ tablespoons olive oil over the vegetables.

To prepare the topping, combine the Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and a teaspoon of herbs de Provence. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and toss it to coat the crumbs. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the vegetables.

Place dish in center of oven and bake for 40 minutes until vegetables are soft, the juices are bubbling, and the top is a deep golden brown. If the crumbs need more browning, you can stick them under the broiler for a few moments. Serve hot directly from the baking dish.

Note: If you wish to prepare this in advance, stop after the vegetables are laid in the gratin dish; cover and refrigerate. Add the oil, herbs, and breadcrumbs right before baking.

Source: Adapted from Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child