Eggplant Parmesean

As you saw in the previous post, I started growing my own basil (OK, I meant the boys). I had so much I thought I would try making my own pesto. I googled it and found this recipe from Tyler Florence. It was from his show How to Boil Water and the episode was called Veggie Delight. Often times I will click on the link to see what else was made during that shows episode. That is when I saw his recipe for Eggplant Parmesan. Eggplant has always been one of the veggies that scared me. I was never a fan of the texture or taste but, I never ate peppers or onions before and now I don't mind them in my food, so I decided to give Eggplant a second chance.

Eggplant Parmesan

What You Need:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons capers, drained
2 (28-ounce) cans tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano), crushed by hand
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, hand torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 pounds medium eggplants, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 pounds whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Romano
2 pounds shredded mozzarella cheese

The Steps:
First make the sauce: Put a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the olives, red pepper flakes, and capers, and let that cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Toss in the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a low simmer. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.


Combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, and oregano in a shallow bowl; season generously with salt and pepper and mix well. Crack 3 of the eggs into another shallow bowl; season with salt and pepper and beat with a fork to mix. Put the flour in another shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the eggplant, flour, beaten eggs, and bread crumbs on a work surface near the stove.


Heat about 1/4-inch olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, dredge several eggplant slices first in the flour, then dip them in the egg, and finally coat them in the bread crumbs. Put as many eggplant in the skillet as will fit comfortably in a single layer and cook until tender and well browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Cook all of the eggplant slices this way, adding more olive oil to the pan as needed.


Stir together the ricotta and 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano cheese. Stir in the basil and remaining 2 eggs, and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To assemble the dish, first get yourself set up with a large, buttered baking dish. Have ready the eggplant, the ricotta mixture, the tomato sauce, the shredded mozzarella cheese and the remaining 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano. To start, spoon some of the tomato sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Now add a layer of eggplant. Spread with half of the ricotta mixture.


Spoon another layer of tomato sauce over and sprinkle with about one-third of the mozzarella. Repeat with a layer of eggplant, the rest of the ricotta, tomato sauce, and another third of the mozzarella. Finish with the rest of the eggplant, the rest of the tomato sauce, and the rest of the mozzarella. Sprinkle with the 3/4 cup Parmigiano.

Put the dish in the oven and bake for about 1 hour, until golden and bubbling. Let stand for about 20 minutes before cutting.

The Verdict:
I actually thought it was pretty good, the Doc, not so much. He wasn't a fan of eggplant before either, but this didn't change his mind. David tried it, but I am not sure he loved it, however, Shaun couldn't get enough. I am wondering if he just liked the cheesey goodness surrounding the fried eggplant.



For this dish, I made my own bread crumbs by throwing some slices of stale whole wheat bread into my food processor (OMG, I love that thing!). In my mind, using whole wheat bread to make the crumbs made "healthier". Ha! I also did use lower fat mozzarella cheese, however I did use full fat ricotta. I don't see why you would need to use the full fat, though I definitely would NOT use fat free because I do notice a difference.


I got some feedback from some friends, who are experts on the dish, and I was advised for next time to cut it in circles and skin it. I also didn't cut it as thin as I would have liked. I think this is definitely worth trying out again, because the boys seemed to like it enough and I would like to see how different it turns out making those adjustments. I'll just have to make some chicken for the Doc! I would also need to make sure I gave myself more time to prepare so we're not eating dinner at 7:30 again. This dish is more of a weekend dinner, as opposed to a weeknight dinner.

Shrimp with Roasted Garlic Pesto Pasta

If you are a garlic lover, like myself, then you are going to love this dish. This dish, Shrimp with Roasted Garlic Pesto Pasta, is a Sunny Anderson recipe. I have seen her show a couple times on the food network but do not watch her on a regular basis. I have been wanting to make a pesto since I got my food processor, and this one jumped out at me during a search on the Food Network site.

Ingredients
15 garlic cloves, peeled (about 1 head)
1 cup olive oil, plus extra for tomatoes
1 pound cherry tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup packed basil leaves
1 pound linguine
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

The How To:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place garlic cloves in a single layer in a small baking dish. Add 1/2 cup olive oil to cover cloves, cover with foil, and bake 45 minutes, until golden brown and fork-tender. Meanwhile, in another baking dish, toss tomatoes with enough oil to coat. Lightly season with salt and pepper and roast at same temperature until tomatoes blister, about 25 minutes.

Strain garlic cloves and set aside in a small bowl, reserving infused oil separately. In a blender, add the roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, Parmesan, and basil. Pulse until combined. While machine is running, drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil until pesto comes together. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Remove to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and reserve.


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the linguine and cook until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and saute until the shrimp turn pink and is cooked through.


In a large bowl add the linguine and some of the pesto. Toss to coat and top with the shrimp. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and serve.


Note: There will be leftover pesto.

The Verdict:
For my first pesto, I have to say I was impressed. I am a huge fan of garlic and live by the motto in cooking that you can never have too much so this was a winner in my book! The Doc even enjoyed it. For those who don't like (or can't eat) shrimp, I am sure it would be just as good with some diced chicken.