Hot And Humid, With A 50% Chance of Showers... Eggplant Parmigiana

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As I told you in the last two posts, I am still not in the mood for Fall cooking.  Not with this weather. Can you believe I am still wearing shorts and a t-shirt?

What I am doing is taking advantage of the last of the summer crop and buying what looks best on the shelves at the supermarket.  Eggplants caught my eyes last week and, with my daughter gone for a short trip out of town, it was the perfect opportunity to sneak some in the house.  She hates eggplant,.. something about the texture, but Madame Mere and I love it and Eggplant Parmesan is one of our favorite meals.

When I first started this blog over five years ago, one of the first recipes I posted was for this iconic Italian dish.  The recipe was Mario Battali's and the time of the year was Spring.  Goes to show you the difference and the advantages of living in a zone where you can grow things twelve months out of a year.  Here,  it is not until mid July that you can start seeing those plum and fat eggplants or aubergines, as some folks like to call them.

I came home with one medium eggplant, enough for the two of us.  That is really all you need, aside from a crusty baguette and a nice bottle of wine.

This time I used Lidia Bastianich's recipe.  Her addition of basil leaves in between the layers sounded heavenly and it was.  I know people squirm when they have to fry the eggplant and some prefer to bake it to avoid the mess of frying.  I am a purist when it comes to cooking iconic recipes like this and prefer to make them the way they are supposed to be made . I have yet to see a good Italian cook bake instead of fry the eggplant before assembling in a casserole dish.  Besides, once you layer and cover it with tomato sauce and mozzarella it is going to lose its crispiness especially after baking it covered for over 30 minutes.  So put baked eggplant out of your mind and follow the recipe the way it should be.

One of the real drawbacks of this dish is cleaning the dirty pan in which it bakes.  There's no way to avoid it or even make it look pretty for a blog photo.  I take off my hat to those who can. Soak it in dish washing soap overnight.  The next day clean the pan as much as you can and then sprinkle some Bartender's Helper over the bottom and sides and let it sit for a bit.  Clean with a soft pad and rinse. Repeat if needed. That should do it. Do not use a Brillo pad or it will scratch your dish.

Although this recipe is for six, you can adapt it depending how many people you want to serve. You need to figure on three 1/4 inch eggplant slices per person, at least.  So look at the size of  your eggplants, figure accordingly, and make an extra couple of stalks in case someone wants seconds. Also remember, this dish does not need to swim in tomato sauce.  If you have some saved in the freezer, it should take no time.  If not, the recipe I use, also from Lidia Bastianich, takes only 25 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

3 medium eggplants, (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
1 tablespoon sea salt, or kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
all-purpose flour, for dredging
2 cups plain breadcrumbs
freshly ground pepper
½ cup vegetable oil, or as needed
½ cup olive oil, or as needed
Tomato sauce
2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese or imported Fontina cheese, cut into slices 1/3-inch thick
12 fresh basil leaves

Serves 6

Directions:

Trim the stems and ends from the eggplants. Remove strips of peel about 1-inch wide from the eggplants, leaving about half the peel intact. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into1/2-inch thick slices and place them in a colander. Sprinkle with the coarse salt and let drain for 1 hour. Rinse the eggplant under cool running water, drain thoroughly and pat dry. 

Whisk the eggs and 1 teaspoon salt together in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan or wide, shallow bowl. Spread the flour and breadcrumbs in an even layer in two separate wide, shallow bowls or over sheets of wax paper. Dredge the eggplant slices in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the floured eggplant into the egg mixture, turning well to coat both sides evenly. Let excess egg drip back into the pan, then lay the eggplant in the pan of breadcrumbs. Turn to coat both sides well with breadcrumbs, pressing with your hands until the breadcrumbs adhere well to the eggplant.

Pour 1/2 cup each of the olive and vegetable oils into a medium skillet. Heat over medium-high heat until a corner of one of the eggplant slices gives off a lively sizzle when dipped into the oil. Add as many of the eggplant slices as fit without touching and cook, turning once, until well browned on both sides, about 6 minutes. Remove the eggplant to a baking pan lined with paper towel and repeat with the remaining eggplant slices. Adjust the heat as the eggplant cooks to prevent the bits of coating that fall off the eggplant slices from burning. Add oil to the pan as necessary during cooking to keep the level more or less the same.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the tomato sauce to simmering, if necessary, in a small saucepan over medium heat. Ladle enough sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish to cover the bottom. Sprinkle with an even layer of grated cheese and top with a layer of fried eggplant, pressing it down gently. Tear a few leaves of basil over the eggplant and ladle about 3/4 cup of the sauce to coat the top evenly. Sprinkle an even layer of grated cheese over the sauce and top with a layer of mozzarella or Fontina, using about one-third of the cheese. Repeat the layering as described above two more times, ending with a top layer of cheese that leaves a border of about one inch around the edges of the baking dish. Drizzle sauce around the border of the baking dish and sprinkle the top layer with the remaining grated cheese. Finish with a few decorative streaks or rounds of tomato sauce. Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil and poke several holes in the foil with the tip of a knife. Bake 30 minutes.

Uncover and continue baking until the top layer of cheese is golden in spots, about 15 minutes. Let rest 10 to 20 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

Recipe Lidia Bastianich
Photos Lindaraxa

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Stuffed Eggplant With Beef And Gruyere

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I have been thinking about what to do with Sandra's gift for a few days and I finally came to the conclusion that the best way to enjoy these small eggplants is to stuff them.  It is a crime to slice and throw them on the grill or to chop them up for caponata or ratatouille.  So off I went looking for a recipe that was a bit out of the ordinary and after finding  none that excited me, I decided to venture out on my own.

The trick here is to precook the eggplant in the skillet until it is almost done but still firm enough to hold the stuffing while it cooks in the oven for an additional  40 minutes.  You want to make sure the eggplant is cooked all the way through, including the skin, by the time you take them out.

This is not your typical tomato based meat stuffing.  I wanted something "mellow" but with a kick which I got by adding a pinch of red pepper flakes to bring the flavor up a notch. Somehow tomato sauce and Gruyere don't pair well in my mind;  but if you want more of a tomato flavor,  just add another tablespoon of the paste.
    
With a dish like this all you need is a glass of wine and a fresh baguette. 

BTW there is nothing prettier than an uncooked eggplant and nothing uglier or harder to photograph than a stuffed one!  I tried a few angles and different lighting  but after a few tries,  I just gave up. Trust me, they were good.  We had some tonight and the rest are in the fridge until tomorrow when they will go into the freezer for a later time.

 Ingredients

6 small eggplants (2 lbs total)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus 2 TB for sauteeing the eggplant

4 mashed garlic cloves
1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup green or red pepper, finely chopped
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 TB tomato paste
2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 Tb. heavy cream

1 cup grated Gruyere

1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and brush them with olive oil.   In a skillet, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 mashed cloves of garlic.  Cook the garlic for about 5 minutes.  Prick eggplants with a fork and lay them flesh side down in the skillet covered, turning once,  until almost done but still firm enough to hold the stuffing, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, slice open and, using a large spoon scoop out the flesh to make a shell about 1/2  inch thick. Finely chop the flesh and set aside.

Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium- high heat. Toss in the onion, the peppers and the other 2 cloves of garlic, and cook until everything begins to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Crumble in the ground beef and cook until browned slightly, about 5 minutes.   Pour the wine over the meat and cook on high until the wine is almost all absorbed.  Add the 2 TB. tomato paste and mix well into the beef.  Add the  chopped eggplant, and season with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to bring the flavors "up".  Cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  Uncover and add the cream and the Gruyere cheese and finally the bread crumbs.

Scrape into a bowl to cool.  Add parsley and mix well.

Put the eggplant halves in a large baking dish, and drizzle with the remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon salt, and toss well to coat all of the eggplant with the oil. Fill the eggplant halves with the filling, and arrange snugly in the baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmigiano. Cover the dish with foil, and bake until the eggplant is tender all the way through, about 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover, and bake until the top of the filling is browned and crispy, about 10 minutes more.

Preserved Eggplants With Olives, Capers And Parsley

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What a gorgeous Fall we are having here in North Georgia.  This has always been my most favorite times of the year although, because of the drought, we have not been able to enjoy picnics on the lake, one of our favorite pastimes. 

If you are a football fan, and I"m not,  you are probably out tailgating with friends and family at the numerous college games all over the country. Or just driving around with a picnic lunch in the back seat.  If you are not, there is something wrong with you. Do try to get out there and enjoy this gorgeous weather.  Pretty soon you will be home bound with snow up to your ears and the mother of all cabin fevers.  Remember last winter?

This is one of those recipes that is easy to make and great to have around in case of unexpected guests.  It goes well with the French meatloaf for a picnic or as an appetizer at a tailgating event or a Sunday lunch with friends and family.

Japanese eggplant have thinner skins and a sweeter flavor than their American counterparts.  They are perfect for this recipe, thus, substitutions are not encouraged.

There is no need to peel the skin of Japanese eggplants, as it will soften with cooking. Slicing, placing in a brine solution and draining, as with common eggplant, is also not needed. Simply cut and cook to your liking.

They are available from July until October so go get some and start making a batch.  A great addition served with a crusty baguette at your next tailgate picnic!

This recipe makes one pint.

Ingredients


2 Japanese eggplants (3/4 pound), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch rounds

2 tablespoons fine sea salt

1 cup water

3/4 cup white wine vinegar (7 percent acidity)

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds

1 garlic clove, gently smashed and peeled

10 pitted green olives

2 teaspoons salt-packed capers, rinsed, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, then rinsed again

3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 fresh arbol or small serrano chile

About 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Put eggplant pieces in a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. Fill a bowl, slightly smaller than colander, with water and place bowl on top of eggplant. Let eggplant stand, covered, at room temperature for 6 hours. (Eggplant will turn brown.) Discard liquid in bowl.

Gently squeeze out any excess water from eggplant. In a large saucepan, combine eggplant, remaining tablespoon salt, 1 cup water, vinegar, wine, coriander and garlic; bring mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Drain eggplant slices; discard brine. Transfer slices to prepared baking sheet and let drain and cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, finely chop together olives, capers, parsley and chile.

Layer eggplant slices and olive mixture in a clean, dry 1-pint jar, or other container, with a tight-fitting lid. Add just enough oil to cover eggplant, and secure with lid. Preserved eggplant keeps, chilled, for 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before serving.

La Cucina Italiana

The Versatile Eggplant Caponata

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Caponata is a sweet and tangy eggplant dish very similar to the French ratatouille. It can be served by itself,  as a spread for crostini or crackers or mixed into a pasta dish.  If you have a vegetable garden or potager as my friend Sandra Jonas does, at this point  you will be going nuts looking for new ways to cook all that your garden is producing.  I remember last summer we couldn't find enough friends to give out our giant zucchinis to or recipes to prepare them.  Needless to say, this year we did not plant a garden and,in turn, are the happy recipients of the surplus from our neighbor's gardens.

This simple recipe for caponata should take care of the eggplants and tomatoes in your garden.  Serve it for lunch on a baguette or bring it along on a picnic.  You can also serve it on crostini or crackers as an appetizer. 

Serves 6

Ingredients

 1 medium eggplant, cubed

1 small red or spanish onion

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small red pepper thinly sliced (optional)

1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3 tablespoon golden raisins

2 tablespoon drained capers

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Toasted baguette

Preparation

1. Cook eggplant, red peppers and onion in olive oil until browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook another 5 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes, drained capers, raisins. wine vinegar and sugar; simmer until the tomatoes break up slightly, 5 to 10 minutes approximately.

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 3. Serve spread on toasted baguette. (As a variation, you might want to add a thin slice of mozzarella to the hot toasted baguette before spreading the caponata.)

Photo: Andrew Scrivani, NYT

Greek Drama...Moussaka A La Grecque

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This weekend all eyes will be on Greece.  Whether the government gets its act together and  pushes through the deep cuts needed to receive the next installment of international aid or not, there is no question that tough times lie ahead for the Greeks.  Oy vey, it seem like these days we get out of one crisis just to plunge into another...

While the markets were falling apart this week and I was trying not to notice by concentrating on the blog and polishing the silver, moussaka came to mind.  Well that and the fact that I have some beautiful eggplant, or as some of you like to call it, aubergines, sitting on my kitchen counter.  They were really destined for the grill, but I think that instead, I will use them to make this long forgotten recipe.

Contrary to what you may think, moussaka is not just for the winter.  Now is the perfect time of the year to make one while the gorgeous eggplants, or aubergines,  are at their prime.

I haven't made a moussaka in years. As a matter of fact, this is the only recipe I have and it is from a long time ago;  but when I looked for something  more au courant, nothing came even close. Sometimes old recipes are better than new ones and with Craig Claiborne,  you can never go wrong.

Don't be put out by the length of the recipe.  There are really only four simple steps:  First you brown the eggplant, then the meat onions etc, make a bechamel and assemble the whole dish.  Simple as that. So go for it and pray that everything (the moussaka and the drama) turns out alright.

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

3 medium eggplants

8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 onions, chopped

2 pounds ground lamb

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Pinch cinnamon

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 quart whole milk, heated

4 large eggs, beaten

Pinch nutmeg

2 cups ricotta

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Peel the eggplant and slice it crosswise 1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides of each slice lightly with salt, arrange in 1 layer on paper towels and let drain for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat; add as many slices as will fit in 1 layer and brown on both sides. Repeat the procedure with 4 tablespoons of the remaining oil and the remaining eggplant. Drain the eggplant as they are cooked on paper towels.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the onion to the skillet and cook until the onions are brown. Add the ground meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink. Combine the tomato paste with the wine, parsley, and cinnamon. Add this mixture to the skillet and simmer over low heat, stirring often, until all the liquid has evaporated. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

In a sauce pan, over low heat, melt the butter, add the flour and whisk for 5 minutes. Turn up the heat to moderate and add the milk in a stream, whisking. Simmer for 5 minutes, add salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat. Cool slightly and stir in the eggs, nutmeg, and ricotta.

Grease and 11 by 16-inch pan and sprinkle the bottom lightly with bread crumbs. Arrange alternating layers of eggplant and meat sauce in the pan, sprinkling each layer with Parmesan and bread crumbs. Pour the egg sauce over the top and bake one hour in a preheat 350 degree oven, or until top is golden. Let cool twenty minutes before slicing.


Recipe from Craig Claiborne
Photos: Getty

Sformato di Melanzane...Eggplant Mold

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This recipe comes from a good friend who happens to eat well and entertain even better!  I recently posted on some of the small things that make an invitation from him a command performance and now I am going to share with you one of his recipes.  As it is with everything he does, it is simple and easy to make yet interesting and "fancy" enough to be part of a dinner or luncheon party.  The recipe comes from his mother and he has been serving it forever.  I recently had it at his home in Miami as part of an informal dinner buffet, in the heat of the summer, and served room temperature without a sauce.  Frankly, I can't remember what else he served I was so enchanted with this mousse.

If you want to serve it as a first course or for an elegant and simple lunch, the original recipe suggests you make extra bechamel sauce, pour it over it and top with a poached egg.  My type of lunch!

Printable Recipe
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs eggplant, peeled and cut in small pieces

2 medium onion finely chopped

5 eggs, separated

Salt & Pepper

1 Cup of bechamel sauce*

Parmaggiano Reggiano (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. 

Cut the eggplant in small pieces and finely chop the onion.  Separately, saute the onions and the eggplant.  When both are done, combine them and with a fork, add the salt and pepper and  mash the pulp until it looks like a puree.  Let cool.

Separate the eggs.  Beat the egg yolks and add to the cool puree and then beat the egg whites to stiff peaks (like a meringue) and fold in to the mix.  Add the bechamel and combine.

Grease a 4 cup mold with butter and add the eggplant.  Cook at 275degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let it come to room temperature.

Run a sharp knife around the edges and invert mold unto a platter.  Serve in wedges.

If you are serving topped with bechamel sauce and poached eggs, spoon about a large tbs of bechamel sauce now on each slice and top with the eggs.  If you are forfeiting the eggs, I suggest you pour the extra bechamel after the mold is inverted into a platter.

 Although he didn't mention it, I would sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese over the bechamel sauce before serving!

*make 2 cups if you are serving it topped with sauce

Grilled Eggplant with Mozarella & Marinara Sauce

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This recipe was inspired by my son Ted, the grill master- in -waiting in our family, after my brother, of course! He was the one who taught me to marinade the eggplant in olive oil AND balsamic vinegar. I perfected it by adding the sugar to the slices while they are marinading.

When they are done, my son cuts the slices in quarters and adds them to spaghetti. It is delicious. I serve mine stalked up, with the sauce on top and a crusty baguette on the side. Your choice.


Serves 4


Ingredients

1 eggplant
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Sugar
Salt and pepper
Mozzarella cheese
Basic Marinara Sauce
Parmigiano Reggiano.


Instructions

Slice the eggplant in 1/2 inch slices. In a big bowl, mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Add the eggplant making sure all slices are thoroughly coated. Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of sugar on each slice and put back in the marinade. Marinade for about 1/2 hour. Light the fire to medium high (400 on the gas grill)and grill covered for about 8 minutes on each side. Place about 1 Tb shredded mozzarella on top of each slice, cover and cook until the cheese melts. Remove from the grill.

Place three slices in a stalk, top with the marinara sauce and grate some Parmigiano on top. Serve with a crusty baguette.

Cooks Note: Make your own sauce, or preferably the one on the blog. It is Lidia Bastianich's recipe, simple, easy and authentic. Lots of garlic and fresh basil! Put the leftovers in the freezer for another night of eggplant, pasta or veal. Believe me, when you find yourself with nothing planned for dinner, you'll be glad you did!