Vegetables: Eggplant :: 2/2

Archive for Vegetables: Eggplant – Page 2

Slow Cooked Eggplant Parmesan

By Leslie · Comments (2) · May 28th, 2010

So incase you hadn't realized by now, eggplant is one of my favorite things in the world to eat! And I love experimenting with it! Today, I decided to make a more "healthy" version of eggplant parm. So this recipe involves no frying and no breadcrumbs! It does have some Béchamel sauce in it, which can be omitted if you choose. What is béchamel you ask, it's a white creamy sauce with some French, Greek and Italian heritage. One of the most delicious things about this technique is that cooks for a much longer time on a lower temperature to make it so tender, nice and yummy!! So dig in!

No Fry Eggplant Parmesan

Serves 4

What you'll need:

1 eggplant

tomato sauce (homemade recipe)

béchamel sauce (recipe below)

a handful of basil

1 ball of fresh mozzarella (shredded will work too if that's all you have)

a couple handfuls of parmesan cheese (please not green containers)

What you'll do:

Slice the eggplant lengthwise, salt and set to drain. (if you have questions, see here) While it's setting, make the tomato sauce and béchamel sauce. Here is how to make béchamel:

What you'll need:

2 1/2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

2 cups milk

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

What you'll do:

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium-low heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pot until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1/4 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside to cool until ready to use. The sauce will turn very thick.

Ok, back to the assembly! So preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Take a 8 x 8 baking dish and dollop a large spoonful of tomato sauce in and spread around the bottom to cover. Lay one layer of eggplant in next. Spoon a couple teaspoons of tomato sauce on top of the eggplant and spread around. Add a few basil leaves and then drizzle some béchamel sauce all over. Add another layer of eggplant and repeat. The top layer should be the béchamel sauce. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for about 2 hours or until the eggplant is fork tender. When it is tender, top with the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Stick it back in the oven under the broiler until the cheese melts.

Serve warm alone or with some pasta : )

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Comments (2)

Categories : Ethnic: Mediterranean, Vegetables: Eggplant, Vegetables: Tomato

Baked Ziti with Eggplant and Spinach

By Leslie · Comments (11) · March 23rd, 2010

You know when people ask you what you would bring to a deserted island? Well, I would bring baked ziti. I could eat it all day everyday! I love this version cause I put in some extra yummy veggies. This crowd pleasing dish can also be made a day ahead : )

Baked Ziti

This recipe serves 4 (you can easily double and bake in a 9×12 dish)

1/2 lb. of ziti

1/2 eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes

tomato sauce, yours or my recipe

1 cup ricotta cheese

a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

a few leaves of fresh basil, roughly sliced

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

a handful of grated parmesan cheese

a sprinkle of dried oregano

What you'll do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Make your tomato sauce. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box until very al dente (chewy) The noodle will cook more in the oven and you don't want them to get too limp. When the noodles are done, toss them in some tomato sauce to coat. (this will prevent sticking) Lightly saute the eggplant cubes in some olive oil with a pinch of salt till they just begin to turn golden.

Now for assembly. Spread some tomato sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. (so the pasta doesn't stick)

then put a couple spoonfuls of pasta down, the eggplant, the roughly chopped spinach, some chopped basil and the ricotta cheese. (for an extra surprise, sprinkle in some toasted pine nuts)

Add another layer of ziti, then a little more sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and sprinkle with just a little dried oregano.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble and turn golden. Serve with some extra tomato sauce for people like me who love tons of sauce!

I hope you enjoy as much as I do!

Comments (11)

Categories : Pasta, Vegetables: Eggplant, Vegetables: Spinach, Vegetables: Tomato

Pasta with Eggplant and Mozzarella

By Leslie · Comments (0) · January 18th, 2010

So I had some leftover eggplant, tomato sauce and mozzarella from making my eggplant stacks. What to do?? This is a super yummy pasta that is so easy! This amount feeds two people.

What you need:

1/2 lb. pasta (you can really use any kind of short pasta for this)

1/2 eggplant, diced

About 2 cups of tomato sauce

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, cubed into 1/2 inch squares

Fresh basil if you have it

What you'll do:

Cook the pasta according to the instructions.

While that is cooking, in a large frying pan, brown the eggplant in a little olive oil and salt on medium heat.

When the pasta is done, drain it and throw it into the frying pan with the eggplant. Add a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce and toss.

When the pasta is coated in tomato, toss in the mozzarella and basil. Turn carefully. Plate and top with some grated parmesan.

Serve and enjoy!!

Comments (0)

Categories : Pasta, Vegetables: Eggplant, Vegetables: Tomato

Eggplant Parm Stack and Chicken Parm

By Leslie · Comments (5) · January 15th, 2010

Last night my husband and I were both craving Parm. Me eggplant and he chicken. This is a great and easy meal to do if you are cooking for a vegetarian. We all love it and it makes life simple for the cook. My husband and I feel like we are having the same dining experience, but both getting what we want.

So here is what you'll need:

1 chicken breast, pounded thin (FYI if the idea of pounding meat grosses you out like me, I ask the butcher to pound it for me, that way I never have to even touch it)

1 eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch circle slices

Bread crumbs

Flour

1 egg, beaten in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil

Tomato Sauce (your recipe or mine)

Fresh mozzarella

Parmesan cheese

What you'll do:

Create a dredging station by filling three bowls with a handful of flour in one, the egg mix in another and a couple handfuls of bread crumbs mixed with some parmesan cheese and garlic salt in the other.

Work with the eggplant first so you don't get any chicken kooties on the eggplant.

Dust the eggplant with the flour, then dunk it in the egg and cover it in the bread crumb mix. Set on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat this step with all the eggplant, then the chicken.

Drizzle the eggplant and chicken with some olive oil and broil a few minutes on each side until golden. (yes you could fry, but who really needs the extra calories??)

For the chicken, keep on the cookie sheet and top with a little tomato sauce and a couple slices of fresh mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Place back under the broiler for about 1 minute or until the cheese melts. Slide onto a plate and you're done.

For the eggplant, put a little sauce on the plate and place a slice of eggplant on top. On top of that, a little more sauce, parmesan cheese and a slice of mozzarella. Repeat two more times.

And there you have it! A meal fit for a vegetarian and meat eater alike!!

Comments (5)

Categories : Entrees, Vegetables: Eggplant, Vegetables: Tomato

12. How to Prepare and Make Eggplant

By Leslie · Comments (2) · October 12th, 2009

Eggplant is one of the most used and diverse vegetables out there! Originally a native to India, eggplant is now used all over the world.

eggplant_plant Being Italian vegetarian, I love eggplant! It makes a great meat substitute in recipes! I'm going to teach you how to prep an eggplant and one of my favorite ways to cook it! This recipe is so easy and one of my favorite side dishes ever! First off, you need to salt the eggplant: Wash the eggplant and cut off the ends.

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Slice the eggplant lengthwise in about 1/4 inch slices. (I'm slicing for my recipe today, but you could also dice or slice widthwise) DSCN2123 Place the eggplant slices in a strainer and sprinkle with salt. This draws all the bitterness out of the eggplant.

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Let sit for about 30 minutes. Pat dry with a paper towel. For this recipe I'm going to grill the slices in a grill pan.

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You'll know it's done grilling when it's soft and flexible. Next place the slices on a workspace and place a slice of mozzarella cheese, basil leaf and a slice of roma tomato in the center of the eggplant and roll up the edges.

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Place the rolls on a cookie sheet and stick into the oven for a couple minutes until the cheese just starts to melt. Serve immediately. These are such tasty, healthy little treats!! DSCN2128

Eggplant is also great diced into some baked macaroni! Eggplant Parmesan and Eggplant Rollatini are some of my favorites too that you can find in previous blogs! Love eggplant rollatini? Try placing a mound of spaghetti inside before you wrap it up for a different version. One of my favorite Indian dishes is Baigan Bhartha which is a combination of smashed eggplant with tomatoes, onions and Indian spices! Super Yummy! Eggplant is also great in Mousaka, Ratatouille or just plain grilled with some garlic, parsley and olive oil.

FUN FACT: Eggplant is richer in nicotine than any other edible plant, with a concentration of 100 ng/g (or 0.01 mg/100g). However, the amount of nicotine from eggplant or any other food is negligible compared to passive smoking.^[8] On average, 20lbs (9 kg) of eggplant contains about the same amount of nicotine as a cigarette.

FUN FACT #2: Eggplant is closely related to the tomato and the potato

Comments (2)

Categories : 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen, Appetizers, Side Dishes, Vegetables: Eggplant, Vegetables: Tomato

Eggplant Rollatini with a Spinach Linguine

By Leslie · Comments (1) · August 20th, 2009

It's been a crazy couple days at the Sarna house! We are considering adopting another dog and we've had him at the house the last couple days. He is a chihuahua mutt that is 4 months old! (Cute as a button!) We found him at the Bill Foundation in Beverly Hills. (amazing people and org.) And Sim is still laid up in bed with his ankle injury! I been juggling a lot! So, this all means I got to decide the menu! (which in turn means Vegetarian night!) The inspiration was Tomatoes and Greens! Yummy! Trust me, this is a meal that even a meat eater will enjoy! This was the menu:
Apple, Endive, Gorgonzola Salad with a maple, mustard vinaigrette : )
Eggplant Rollatini
Spinach Linguine with a Roasted Heirloom Tomato Salsa
Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
This is a great dinner party menu because it comes together very fast and there is a lot you can make ahead of time. The ice cream and even the Eggplant Rollatini can be made up to the day before. The flavors are great for summer and you take advantage of all the ripe produce of the season! And PS Sim ate every last bight off his plate : ) I'm going to give you the recipe for the eggplant. My Aunt Carol's Mother in law makes a version of this every Christmas and sometimes I just can't wait that long! Here is the recipe for the Eggplant Rollatini:

What you'll need:

2 Eggplants
Flour

4 eggs, whisked

Italian Style Breadcrumbs

Romano Cheese

Olive Oil

Tomato Sauce (better homemade, but this is one of those places you can cheat)

1 ½ lbs. Ricotta Cheese, strained and dried

4 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese

¼ cup Parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and Pepper

Remove the ends of the eggplants. Slice eggplant lengthwise about ¼ of an inch thick. Place them in a strainer for about a half hour sprinkled with salt. (This releases all the bitter flavor from the eggplant. Trust me you can taste the difference!)
While this is going on, make your tomato sauce (or open the jar) and the cheese filling. In a medium mixing bowl combine the Ricotta Cheese, about a ½ cup Mozzarella, a handful of Romano, Parsley, garlic, and salt & pepper to taste.
Now we are going to bread and cook the Eggplant. Working with one slice at a time, cover in flour, dredge in the eggs, and dip in the breadcrumbs mixed with some Romano cheese. Then you can either fry them in a pan with a little olive oil or you can lay them on a grease cookie sheet and broil them. Either way, cook until golden brown. Once they have cooled, it’s time for assembling!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread some tomato sauce in the bottom of your casserole dish. Lay an eggplant slice on a flat working surface. Place a dollop of the cheese mixture a ¼ of the way up it. Roll it up and place it in the baking dish. You should be able to fit about 2 X 8 rolls in your dish. When you have filled your dish, pour a generous amount of tomato sauce over to cover all the eggplants. Sprinkle on remaining Mozzarella and some Romano.
Bake for about 30 – 45 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling. Enjoy!
Eggplant Rollatini with Spinach Linguine