Eggplant Parmesan is one of my favorite Italian meals. It's easier than lasagna, and even heartier than Chicken Parmesan. We had a bout of rainy, cold weather, so I was searching for a warming and filling meal -that still feels light enough for a summer dish. Hence, Eggplant Parm! If it's not already a favorite in your household, it should be. The texture and flavors of this dish let even the 'meat and potatoes' crowd happy to eat a meatless meal.
I don't follow a strict recipe, and I don't even know how true my version is to the authentic Italian fare. Regardless, it's super yummy and easy to throw together. Give it a try! If you don't have fresh mozzarella or herbs, it's ok to use pre-packaged cheese or dried herbs. Just remember, dried herbs are only about 1/2 of what you would need fresh.
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients:
1 Eggplant, sliced into 1/4" slices
2 large balls of Mozzarella cheese, sliced into smallish strips (if using shredded mozzarella, approx. 2 cups)
1 can (26 oz.) Spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese for grating -about 1/2 cup
3 tbsp. Basil, fresh, chiffonade
2 tbsp. Parsley, fresh, chopped
1 tbsp. Oregano, fresh, chopped
Shortening
Dredge:
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Milk
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. Chili powder
-Beat eggs and milk in a pie pan, set aside
-Mix together bread crumbs, flour, and chili powder in another pie pan, set aside
-Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
-Melt enough shortening in a 12" skillet to cover about 1/2" deep, and bring up to frying temp.
-Take eggplant slices, and dredge each one into the egg wash 1st, then coat with bread crumb mix.
-Fry eggplant in skillet until golden brown on each side (3-4 minutes per side). You will probably have to do a few batches, so have a draining rack ready to place the fried pieces on.
-Taking a 9" X 13" baking dish, pour enough spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom.
-Lay eggplant to cover bottom of dish.
-Layer evenly (on top of eggplant), 1/2 of each: mozzarella, herbs, spaghetti sauce, and parmesan.
-Repeat layers -eggplant, mozzarella, herbs, sauce, parmesan.
-Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Perfect Summer Meals: part 1, Scallop Tacos
Summertime, and the livin's easy.... So should should be the meals! Light, easy, and taking advantage of summer crops.
I'll start this series off with the other nights dinner: Scallop Tacos with Cabbage Slaw with Avocado Sauce.
We substituted the scallops with codfish, but followed all the other directions to a T and it was wonderful. The original recipe is posted below, and I see why they used scallops for a more 'meaty' texture. The cod was a decent substitute however, so try either version. This recipe was taken from Weber.com, so there are a lot of grilling instructions.
Scallop Tacos with Cabbage Slaw with Avocado Sauce
Sauce:
1 large Hass avocado, diced
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 large jalapeño chile pepper, seeded
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 large garlic clove
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Marinade:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Grated zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 large garlic cloves, grated or minced
24 sea scallops, each 1 to 1-1/2 ounces
1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage, rinsed under cold water
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion, rinsed under cold water
8 corn or flour tortillas (6 inches)
Directions:
-In a blender combine the sauce ingredients and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small serving bowl. Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve.
-In a large bowl whisk the marinade ingredients, including 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove the small, tough side muscle that might be left on each scallop. Add the scallops to the marinade and turn to coat evenly. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes while the grill preheats.
-Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).
-In a medium bowl combine the cabbage and onion.
-Brush the cooking grates clean. Lift the scallops one at a time from the marinade, letting the excess marinade drip back into the bowl. Discard the marinade. Grill the scallops over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until lightly browned and just opaque in the center, 4 to 6 minutes, turning once or twice. Remove from the grill.
-Warm the tortillas over direct high heat for about 10 seconds on each side.
-Fill each tortilla with some of the cabbage mixture and three scallops. Top with the sauce and serve right away.
*For some, my picture upload site is having some problems, so please don't mind how the pictures are cut off... you should be able to get the idea.
I'll start this series off with the other nights dinner: Scallop Tacos with Cabbage Slaw with Avocado Sauce.
We substituted the scallops with codfish, but followed all the other directions to a T and it was wonderful. The original recipe is posted below, and I see why they used scallops for a more 'meaty' texture. The cod was a decent substitute however, so try either version. This recipe was taken from Weber.com, so there are a lot of grilling instructions.
Scallop Tacos with Cabbage Slaw with Avocado Sauce
Sauce:
1 large Hass avocado, diced
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 large jalapeño chile pepper, seeded
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 large garlic clove
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Marinade:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Grated zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 large garlic cloves, grated or minced
24 sea scallops, each 1 to 1-1/2 ounces
1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage, rinsed under cold water
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion, rinsed under cold water
8 corn or flour tortillas (6 inches)
Directions:
-In a blender combine the sauce ingredients and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small serving bowl. Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve.
-In a large bowl whisk the marinade ingredients, including 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove the small, tough side muscle that might be left on each scallop. Add the scallops to the marinade and turn to coat evenly. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes while the grill preheats.
-Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).
-In a medium bowl combine the cabbage and onion.
-Brush the cooking grates clean. Lift the scallops one at a time from the marinade, letting the excess marinade drip back into the bowl. Discard the marinade. Grill the scallops over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until lightly browned and just opaque in the center, 4 to 6 minutes, turning once or twice. Remove from the grill.
-Warm the tortillas over direct high heat for about 10 seconds on each side.
-Fill each tortilla with some of the cabbage mixture and three scallops. Top with the sauce and serve right away.
*For some, my picture upload site is having some problems, so please don't mind how the pictures are cut off... you should be able to get the idea.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Grilled Scup
I've said it once, I'll say it again: nothing beats a man that works in the fishing industry! Myself still being a rather fish novice, he brought home a Scup fish for me to try...
He also found this recipe that was quite nice, and I think would work with several other types of fish. You do need a whole intact fish for this recipe, so keep that in mind. Squeamish need not apply! I don't mind scaling a fish, but I'm not a fan of the gutting part. However, if you're up to this, or happen upon a fresh Scup, please give this a try. I will also say, as a word of advisement, you can NOT substitute dried rosemary for fresh in this recipe -I learned the hard way! Another hard lesson was make sure you OIL THE GRILL grates before placing the fish on the grill!
Grilled Scup With Herbs
4 Scup, about 1-1/2 lb
5 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 tbsp. fresh Parsely
1-1/2 tsp. Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 Garlic clove
1/3 cup Olive oil
2 Lemons
Clean and scale the fish, leaving on head and tails if desired.
Chop the garlic, rosemary and parsley together, add the salt and pepper and a few drops of oil to for a paste.
Make three slits on both sides of each fish.
Spread some paste in the slits as well as the cavity.
Combine juice of 1 lemon with remaining oil.
Grill fish, not too close to coals or heat, basting with oil-lemon mixture.
Cook about 6 minutes to a side, letting skin get crisp. Serve with lemon slice.
*Recipe courtesy American Seafood Institute, Wakefield, RI
He also found this recipe that was quite nice, and I think would work with several other types of fish. You do need a whole intact fish for this recipe, so keep that in mind. Squeamish need not apply! I don't mind scaling a fish, but I'm not a fan of the gutting part. However, if you're up to this, or happen upon a fresh Scup, please give this a try. I will also say, as a word of advisement, you can NOT substitute dried rosemary for fresh in this recipe -I learned the hard way! Another hard lesson was make sure you OIL THE GRILL grates before placing the fish on the grill!
Grilled Scup With Herbs
4 Scup, about 1-1/2 lb
5 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 tbsp. fresh Parsely
1-1/2 tsp. Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 Garlic clove
1/3 cup Olive oil
2 Lemons
Clean and scale the fish, leaving on head and tails if desired.
Chop the garlic, rosemary and parsley together, add the salt and pepper and a few drops of oil to for a paste.
Make three slits on both sides of each fish.
Spread some paste in the slits as well as the cavity.
Combine juice of 1 lemon with remaining oil.
Grill fish, not too close to coals or heat, basting with oil-lemon mixture.
Cook about 6 minutes to a side, letting skin get crisp. Serve with lemon slice.
*Recipe courtesy American Seafood Institute, Wakefield, RI
Scup
Cleaned and scaled fish with slits
Herb paste in processor
Herb paste applied to fish
Scup on the grill with some corn
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