yesterday’s menu
Yesterday, I made an incredible meal. It consisted of eggplant parmigiana, pasta, a salad, and a gelatin dessert.
I have to thank
Here is how I did it:
1 eggplant peeled & sliced ¼” thick
2 eggs (beaten)
1C italian breadcrumbs
½C parmesan cheese (grated)
1C spaghetti sauce
1tsp salt
few grinds of mixed pepper
1C a grated cheese of your choice (neufchatel would work great, or mozarella)
2Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Season the beaten eggs with salt and ground mixed peppercorns.
Dip the eggplant slices one at a time in the egg, then in breadcrumbs and place in an oiled skillet.
Mound parmesan cheese on each slice, followed by the grated cheese of your choice.
Add a few tbs of the spaghetti sauce on top of the cheese, few more grounds of mixed peppercorns.
Add fresh basil (or dried) to the spaghetti sauce ontop of the parmigiana.
Bake for around 1hr at 350F.
I’d like to add that the choice of spaghetti sauce can make a big difference. I tend to use the cans that you can’t reseal (because they’re good for these bigger meal dishes) by Dole – Garlic & Onion. That’s what’s so great about eggplant parm…the hard part is the frying of the eggplant and making sure it’s sliced thin enough to cook well in the pan. Then you just add whatever you like to the casserole dish.
Hell, I’ve discovered fried eggplant goes great on spaghetti (when in a time crunch). Sorry, this is one of the three dishes that’s more than boiling pasta that I know how to make.
August 31st, 2006 at 2:31 pmI would love to try your eggplant parmigiana 🙂
I do like Dole, though I have never tried their spaghetti sauce. I think I used Naninna spaghetti sauce for the parmigiana.
You are certainly right, they are worlds of difference in spaghetti sauce, which is good because you can rediscover love for spaghetti by simply changing the sauce.
I usually like to make my own sauce from either fresh tomatos (which I do have in abundance) or with tomato purée which I emblish with things like oregano, sweet basil, parsley, and lots of garlic.
I absolutely love eggplant.
I even tried to grow them two years ago but that was a failure for some reason.
August 31st, 2006 at 2:38 pmMy dad once grew some GINORMOUS eggplant and zucchini. And pumpkins.
August 31st, 2006 at 2:42 pmI think one of the big problems that I have with the cucurbita family (pumpkin/zuchinni/gourds/squash family) is the lack of good pollinators.
Because my zuchinni and pumpkins blossom wonderfully and thrive, but produce no fruit.
KY has had problems with varoa mites (bee parasite) wiping out honeybees for the past decade. I really need to buy a hive or two of bees. Think of all that lovely mead I could make!
August 31st, 2006 at 2:51 pmI love home-made sauce (w/ no canned tomato paste business) but it was always such trouble to make when I was a child. Us kids would be put to the grinder (literally) getting those tomatos processed for the sauce and then the huge pot so we’d have enough for the year in one go and of course, storing them in serving sizes for a family of four in tupperware in the freezer. So much work that I’ll have to wait until I have space, tomatos I can trust, and child labor. 😉
Dole and Prego are the cheapest of the tasty sauces I use in baking. Dole I prefer but it’s only good for baking and not for just one serving of spaghetti because it comes in a giant can rather than a resealable jar.
August 31st, 2006 at 3:37 pmI think you would love my home made salsa.
I often make it from my tomato sauce, recipe below:
I start with around 10lb of tomatos and basically pulp them and then cook along with fresh sweet basil, oregano, and garlic til about a pint remains.
I add corn and serve with freshly fried tortillas.
I often will can my tomato sauce which keeps wonderfully.
August 31st, 2006 at 3:44 pm