This Eggplant Parm is truly the best!

The best recipe that is not a recipe!

From: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/article/eggplant-parm-groat

You know those recipes we hold near and dear to our hearts because they are really the greatest ever of all time? Well, we’re using this series as an opportunity to wax poetic about them. The eggplant parm of test kitchen manager Brad Leone's mom, to be exact (he's been talking about it for months). They truly are the greatest recipe of all time (aka GROAT). Here’s why.

Mom’s eggplant parm is one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. It all starts with a homemade sauce; this step cannot be skipped. For Mich (that's my mom) it's olive oil, onion, garlic, and whole peeled tomatoes, likely a little basil, and maybe some dried oregano. Cook, cook, cook until the onions fall apart. Not too much onion, you're not making stew.

Next, she uses thick, peeled circles of eggplant, like ½–¾ inch thick. Spread the slices out in a single layer and sprinkle them with salt. This helps draw the water out of the eggplant and helps maintain a meaty consistency during and after frying. I like to be able to taste the eggplant and not just thin layers of breaded mystery.

From there, it's all about frying in olive oil in a cast iron pan that’s bigger than most dinner plates. The old egg-wash-and-breadcrumb combo (mom likes the fine stuff in the cardboard can) does the trick. I like a little black pepper in the egg but not sure how mom feels about that. After frying, drain the eggplant on paper towels to help absorb some of the extra oil that it soaked up. This is super important: eggplant can act like a sponge and soak up whatever you put it in, especially oil.

Now, I prefer the Parm layered in a rectangular baking dish, like a 9 x 13. Put a little sauce on the bottom first, then a layer of eggplant, then freshly grated mozzarella cheese and a little grated Parm. Season with salt and pepper then add another layer of sauce. Repeat until you're out of space or eggplant. It’s a nice idea to use block mozzarella grated in between the layers and then use fresh mozzarella on top for melting and browning. Then bake at 375˚ for about 45 minutes—you may need to broil the top for a minute or two to get the cheese bubbly and golden.

The big secret about this dish is to wait before serving, when it's barely warm or even at room temp. The family’s favorite way to eat eggplant Parm, though, is to eat it ice cold right from the fridge. Wanna top that? Place the cold eggplant parm on some warm crusty bread, sandwich style or open-faced. Cold eggplant Parm is certainly on the top five most satisfying and comforting foods known to man, it’s a fact**.

**As a Test Kitchen, we ate three trays of eggplant parm in less than 36 hours. It. Is. That. Good. So do like Brad says and "Make this dish times two."

Eggplant Parmesan

Easier Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan can be made really loosey goosey depending on the time that you have on hand. I've combined these different methods in different ways and always had delicious results. Occasionally  I like using the America's Test Kitchen method for preparing the eggplant if I am going to go for a lighter option. Oven-frying is less oily and more tasty in my opinion. Sometimes if I'm in a rush I will forgo the breading step altogether. Bread crumbs could be added to the top of the casserole if desired. I make this easier by using jarred sauce. 

If you want to go the extra mile just make this recipe from Bon Appetit. It is really easy to make your own sauce and make it with these loose directions http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/article/eggplant-parm-groat

olive oil
garlic, 4-5 cloves, chopped
 1/4 to 1/2 onion, chopped
12 - 16 plum tomatoes, stemmed and skinned if you wish, or do what I do and put them in with the skins on and pick them out later (or not) or 2 cans of whole tomatoes
basil and oregano

Then simmer for a long time until everything falls apart. Th olive oil really is the key to good sauce. Add more than you think you need and then add a little more!

1-2 globe eggplants, sliced
3-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 chuck of fresh mozzarella, sliced
sauce

I don't peel eggplant. I like purple.
Slice eggplant into 1/2" to 3/4" slices. Line a tray with paper towels and put slices down then sprinkle with kosher salt. Let them rest for 10-20 minutes, then blot dry.

Season some flour with salt and pepper, Dredge eggplant slices in flour and set on a drying rack. Beat some eggs and dip the slices in the egg wash; then dip in Italian-seasoned bread crumbs putting them back on the drying rack as you finish. Then, you can choose to oven fry or pan fry the eggplant.

Pan-frying:
Heat vegetable oil in a deep frying pan. Then pan fry each side until golden brown. Place fried slices on paper towels to blot oil.
Oven-frying:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread some oil in a sheet pan and put in the oven for 10 minutes. Add eggplant slices and cook for 15 minutes. Flip slices and add more oil if necessary. Cook for an additional 15 minutes or until slices are crispy on the outside.

Make casserole:
Put about 1/2 c sauce in the bottom of a 9x 13 pan. Place eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Add more sauce, eggplant, shredded cheese until you run out of eggplant. Finish with slices of fresh mozzarella on top. Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes. You may want to broil the top at the end of cooking to brown the cheese.

Take out of the oven and let it set for around 15 minutes. Enjoy the heavenly goodness with a salad and some garlic bread.

Curried Mixed Beans and Roasted Veggies with Quinoa

Curried Mixed Beans and Roasted Veggies with Quinoa

1 bag of mixed beans with lentils, pre-soaked and drained

1 32 oz box of chicken or veg stock

1 32 oz box of chicken or veg broth

1-2 eggplant

3 delicata squash

2 onion

3 carrot

1 sweet potato

3 peppers

1 bunch kale

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3-4 TBS olive oil

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

2 TBS curry powder

1-2 tsp garam marsala

¼ to ½ c quinoa

1. cut up veg into bite-sized  pieces and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast in 450 oven until caramelized about 30 minutes. Turn veg over about halfway through cook time. Make sure each side is nice and brown.  I use two pans and roast two sets. I use this time to soak the beans.

2. Add broth and stock to soaked beans and bring to boil, then turn down to simmer. Add 2 TBS curry powder and 1-2 tsp of garam marsala.

3. Add kale and chopped garlic. Add quinoa; cook for at least 15 minutes. After veg finished roasting add them. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with crusty bread.

Moussaka

I teach a course for first year students in which we investigate food politics. We also do a group activity where the students produce their own cooking show video. This is one group's recipe. It was fantastic!

Moussaka

3 eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise into ½ “ thick slices

salt

¼ c olive oil

1 T butter

1 lb lean ground beef

salt and pepper, to taste

2 onions, chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped

¼ t ground cinnamon

¼ t ground nutmeg

1 t fines herbes

2 T dried parsley

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

½ c red wine

1 egg, beaten

4 c whole milk

½ c butter

6 T flour

salt and ground white pepper, to taste

1 ½ C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ t ground nutmeg

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Sprinkle sliced eggplant with salt and set aside. Slice onions.  Melt 1 T butter in sauté pan and add sliced onions, cooking until slightly brown.  Add minced garlic, herbs, and salt and pepper.  Add ground beef to the onion mixture and cook until no pink remains. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 30 minutes.

Scald 4 c milk in saucepan. In a separate pan melt ½ c butter and add flour, stirring and cooking over heat for a minute. Slowly add hot milk while whisking the butter/flour mixture until it becomes a silky thick sauce.

Wipe eggplant with paper towel. Heat olive oil in fry pan and fry eggplant slices until brown, yet retaining its shape, on each side.

Grease a 9x 13 pan. Layer the bottom of the pan with eggplant slices.  Cover with the meat sauce. Add another layer of eggplant. Cover with béchamel sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on the top with a little bit more nutmeg and parsley.

Bake for 1 hour. Serve.

Khamisa's Sudanese Eggplant Salad

Last year, my friend Khamisa and my students had a cooking exchange; she taught them how to make this salad and they taught her how to make pizza. It has quickly become a staple in our house and it makes for a great fall CSA recipe to use your peppers and eggplant. Khamisa's recipe uses a lot of garlic with delicious results! I have made it using only one head of garlic and it turned out fine but less piquant than the original.

Khamisa's Sudanese Eggplant Salad

3-4 eggplants, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 lg onion, chopped
2-3 red bell peppers, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 T olive oil
2 small cans of tomato paste
2 heads of garlic, peeled; then chopped in food processor
2 T cumin
1/2 - 1 t cayenne pepper or peri peri (optional)
1 1/2 cups natural, creamy peanut butter
2 t salt
1 t pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Roast eggplant, onion, and bell peppers in the oven for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 and continue to cook for about 15 minutes or until eggplant can be mashed easily with a potato masher. Remove from heat and mash vegetables; set aside.

In a Dutch oven, cook garlic and tomato paste over medium heat, stirring frequently until tomato paste turns a deep red color. Add cumin and cayenne pepper (if using) and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add eggplant mixture and continue to stir until well incorporated. Stir in peanut butter, salt, and pepper.

Serve with bread. I usually eat it with naan or tortillas because they are easy to find; more traditional, but less available in Nebraska groceries, are keesra or injeera.

Easy Majorcan Tumbet (Eggplant, Potatoes, and Green Pepper Casserole)

 I had an abundant supply of green peppers, eggplant, and potatoes from my CSA, so I did a search for those ingredients and this dish popped up.  I read that this tumbet tastes best with roasted meat such as lamb. We tried it and it was wonderful!


2 1/2 lbs eggplant, thinly sliced
kosher salt, about 1 T
3 green peppers, thinly sliced
3 lbs potatoes, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lg onion chopped
1 jar spaghetti sauce with roasted garlic and onion
1 can Italian plum tomatoes or 4-5 fresh roma tomatoes chopped
1 c feta cheese
sprigs of thyme
20 basil leaves
cooking spray
salt and pepper

Sprinkle sliced eggplant with salt and set aside for 30 minutes or longer. Drain and wipe off moisture with a paper towel. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook onion and garlic in 1 T olive oil. Add jarred spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, thyme and basil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Toss eggplant, peppers, and potatoes with 2-3 T olive oil and spread on baking sheets. Roast until peppers start to darken and remove from oven (more authentically, you can pan fry all of these veggies in a large amount of oil).

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking oil. Spread 1/2 c sauce on the bottom. Add a layer of eggplant with 1/2 c sauce spread on top. Sprinkle with 1/4 c feta cheese. Place layer of potatoes on top of cheese. Add 1/2 c sauce. Spread layer of peppers. Repeat layering until pan is full and end with sauce and feta.

Turn down oven heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes.

Eggplant Tofu

This is my favorite dish at the Imperial Palace in Lincoln, NE. They don't serve it with ground pork, but I think it is a nice addition if I happen to have some.
 
Eggplant Tofu

2 Chinese or Japanese eggplants (the long skinny ones), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 T salt
1 T oil
1/2 lb ground pork (optional)
1 pkg extra firm tofu, cubed in pieces the same size as eggplant
5 green onions, white part chopped and green part cut into 1" pieces
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 T minced ginger
1 T brown sugar
1-2 T garlic chili paste (either Lee Gum Gee brand called chili bean paste, or the sriracha brand called sambal oelek are my favorites)
1 T dry sherry or red wine
1 T black vinegar or rice vinegar
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c water
1 T cornstarch
1 T sesame oil
1 T toasted sesame seeds

Mix 1 T salt into enough cold water to immerse eggplant. Soak the eggplant in cold salt water for 20 minutes or so. Drain.

While the eggplant is soaking, prepare the sauce. Combine the sherry, vinegar, soy sauce, water, and cornstarch.  Set aside.

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large pan or wok. Add pork, if using, and cook until browned and drain. Then, add white part of green onion, garlic, ginger, chili paste, and sugar and continue to cook over medium high heat for a couple of minutes. Add eggplant and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add tofu, continuing to toss until eggplant can be pierced with a fork for 3 or 4 minutes (I like it tender but not mushy).

Add sauce (give it a good stir first before you throw it in) and continue to stir until it thickens. Stir in sesame oil, green onion tops, and sesame seeds.

Serve with steamed rice.

Caponata-Style Eggplant with Squash

While deciding what to make with my eggplant this week, I contemplated both caponata and  ratatouille -- very similar dishes. I love the vinegary tang of caponata, but I had a lot of squash to use as well (typical in ratatouille, but not caponata). I guess you could call the following capo -touille!

Caponata-Style Eggplant with Squash

2 globe eggplants, cut in 1" cubes
2-3 small zucchini or summer squash, sliced in half longitudinally, then 1/2" thick half moon shapes
2 T kosher salt
1-2 T olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 lg tomatoes, chopped
3 T red wine vinegar
1 T sugar
1 t salt
a few grinds of fresh black pepper
2 T capers
1 small can of sliced black olives (you can also use green olives)

1. Toss the eggplant and squash with the kosher salt and place in a colander for 30 minutes. In the meantime, chop the rest of the vegetables.
2. Heat olive oil in dutch oven; then, add onion, celery, and garlic, stirring until translucent.
3. Rinse the eggplant and squash with water and drain thoroughly.
4. Add eggplant, squash, and tomatoes to pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then, add vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover vegetables with a piece of waxed paper, pressing it down directly on the vegetables. Simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.
5. Remove paper and from heat. Stir in capers and olives.

Serve hot or at room temperature with crusty bread and a good wine.