Eggplant Parmigiana - Campania

The Eggplant Parmigiana Battle continues tonight. Besides the eggplant for the pizza, I also ended up with 2 dishes of Eggplant Parmigiana. Tonight we had Eggplant Parmigiana, Campania. I was lucky to have a Focaccia bread in the freezer.

The Eggplant Parmigiana was delicious. I do believe frying the eggplant makes a huge difference. I usually bake Eggplant Parmigiana. I try to make the healthy choices but this was a delicious choice.

Eggplant Parmigiana, Campania

Ingredients-
2 lbs eggplant (about 4 medium)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 lbs tomato puree
1 bunch fresh basil
5 oz mozzarella
2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt

Method-
Trim the ends of the eggplants, peel them and slice them. Salt them and set them aside for half an hour to lose their bitter taste; rinse and pat dry.
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the tomato puree, salt, and a few basil leaves, then cook down at very low heat until thickened.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in another pan, cook the eggplant slices a few at a time and drain well.
Pour some tomato sauce into the baking and cover it with a layer of the fried eggplant slices along with some mozzarella, basil leaves, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cover with more sauce and make another layer of eggplant, mozzarella, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, ending with a layer of tomato sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake until the surface is crisp. Serve at room temperature.

The Eggplant Parmigiana Battle: Campania vs Puglia

Thank you, Lenore, for dropping off these beautiful eggplants. I opened La Cucina The Regional Cooking of Italy to find an authentic Eggplant Parmigiana recipe. I found 2 recipes. One from the Campania and another from Puglia. The difference in the two is the Campania recipe does not coat the sliced eggplant in flour and egg. I decided to try both so we could decide which we liked better.

I put both on our pizza tonight. Along with the usual sauce, homemade Marinara, Mozzarella, Parmesan and a little Ricotta Cheese.

Which side did we prefer? 

We devoured both sides.

Eggplant Parmigiana - Campania

Ingredients-
2 lbs eggplant (about 4 medium)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 lbs tomato puree
1 bunch fresh basil
5 oz mozzarella
2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt

Method-
Trim the ends of the eggplants, peel them and slice them. Salt them and set them aside for half an hour to lose their bitter taste; rinse and pat dry.
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the tomato puree, salt, and a few basil leaves, then cook down at very low heat until thickened.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in another pan, cook the eggplant slices a few at a time and drain well.
Pour some tomato sauce into the baking and cover it with a layer of the fried eggplant slices along with some mozzarella, basil leaves, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cover with more sauce and make another layer of eggplant, mozzarella, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, ending with a layer of tomato sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake until the surface is crisp. Serve at room temperature.

Eggplant Parmigiana - Puglia

Ingredients-
1 lb eggplant (about 2medium)
olive oil
flour for dredging
2 eggs, beaten
1.2 cups tomato puree (I used Marinara Sauce)
3/4 cup mozzarella
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt

Method-
Preheat the oven to 350˚. Peel the eggplants, cut them lengthwise in thin slices, then salt and drain for 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
Heat 1/2 inch of olive oil in a high-sided pan.
Dip the eggplant slices in flour and egg and fry until golden on both sides.
Cover bottom of an ovenproof pan with tomato puree and cover this with a layer of fried eggplant.
add mozzarella, more sauce and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano, then make another layer of eggplant. Continue the layers until all the ingredients are used up, ending with a layer of tomato puree and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake until the top is golden brown about 20 minutes.

Eggplant Parmesan Casserole

I was not the only one who enjoyed this tonight. Chris is not a big Eggplant Parmesan fan. But this received high praise! I am sure it was the prosciutto that made this as good as it was.

The eggplant was peeled and sliced. The slices were placed on a paper towel lined cookie rack. Salt was sprinkled on top and the slices sat for 1 hour. After the hour the salt was wiped off and the eggplant was dipped in flour, then egg, and then breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs were seasoned with Oregano, Basil, Parmesan Cheese, and pepper.

The oven was preheated to 450˚. The breaded eggplant was baked for 25 minutes. I turned the eggplant over halfway through the baking time.

I had made tomato sauce using the tomatoes from my sister's garden. I coated the bottom of a pyrex baking dish with some sauce. Next a layer of eggplant. Then I added a small slice of prosciutto. That was topped with a couple of dollops of ricotta that had been mixed with oregano, and parsley. Some Mozzarella cheese, shredded, and some Parmesan were layered over the ricotta. More sauce and I repeated this until I ran out of the eggplant. More sauce and Parmesan on top.

That was all done on Sunday.

Tonight it went in the oven, covered with foil, at 350˚ for 35 minutes. The dish was uncovered for the last 10 minutes. The total time in the oven was 45 minutes.

Deep Dish Parmesan & A Marinara Sauce Recipe

Tonight's dinner was another of my favorite recipes. Deep Dish Parmesan from RealSimple.com. I made this for the first time back in September. I remember Chris enjoyed the meal so I decided to make it again. The Marinara Sauce is an old family recipe... Well, at least I think it is. A couple of weeks ago I made the Ricotta Cavatelli which was my great grandmother's recipe. At the end of the article was the my mother's cousin, Josephine Signor's Marinara Sauce recipe. I am hoping it was a recipe she may have gotten from her mother. Even it is not an old family recipe it is an amazing sauce. I am sure the white wine has something to do with it. The recipe is posted after the Eggplant recipe.

From RealSimple.com, Deep-Dish Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients-
2 medium eggplants (cut into 1/4-inch slices)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
3 cups marinara sauce
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Method-
Heat oven to 400° F. On 2 rimmed baking sheets, brush the eggplants with 1/4 cup of the oil; season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bake until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Spread 1 cup of the marinara in the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish. Top with half the eggplant, half the mozzarella, and half the Parmesan. Repeat, ending with the last cup of marinara. Top with the bread crumbs.

Bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes.


Josephine Signor's Marinara Sauce

Ingredients-
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 large cloves garlic, cut into slices
1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
35-ounce can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes in juice, squeezed with your hands to crush
½ cup white wine
10 leaves fresh basil
¼ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and pepper to taste


Method-
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and the onion. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 7-10 minutes, or until the garlic and onions are lightly browned, but not burned. Add remaining ingredients and stir well to mix. Cover and cook at a medium boil, stirring occasionally for about 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce reduces slightly. Remove bay leaf. Taste for seasonings. Makes about 5 cups.

Deep-Dish Eggplant Parmesan

Usually when I make Eggplant Parmesan I will egg wash and bread the eggplant slices and then put them in the oven turning them half way through the cooking time. What a waste of time and energy. This meal was fantastic. Yes I love Eggplant Parmesan but Chris said it was delicious. That's right "this Eggplant Parmesan is delicious." I had enough from the recipe to make 2 dishes so I brought one to my sister's house who is another Eggplant Parmesan lover. The eggplant tasted like it had been fried, and I never thought that with the method I previously used.

From RealSimple.com, Deep-Dish Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients -
2 medium eggplants (cut into 1/4-inch slices)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
3 cups marinara sauce
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs



Method -
Heat oven to 400° F. On 2 rimmed baking sheets, brush the eggplants with 1/4 cup of the oil; season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bake until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Spread 1 cup of the marinara in the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish. Top with half the eggplant, half the mozzarella, and half the Parmesan. Repeat, ending with the last cup of marinara. Top with the bread crumbs.

Bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes.

Portabella and Eggplant Gratin

According the the Blogger stats this is my 1000th post. 

I thought I had 3 more to go but we will go with their numbers. 

Fittingly tonight I made a dish that I had when we were recently on vacation. I made the Portabella and Eggplant Gratin that I had at the Four Seasons Resort. I loved this dish so much I emailed the hotel and asked for the recipe. And they sent it to me!
I followed it exactly and it was just as good as the first time I had it. Yes I fried the eggplant!

And tonight I ate at my Dad's house and he devoured his piece of the gratin. The aide who was with him said he had to save room today because I was bring him Eggplant Parmigiana. I can not wait to make this from my sister.

What did we have for dinner a year ago?
Happy 95th Birthday

What did we have for dinner 2 years ago?
Caesar Salad and Vegetable Croquettes

What did we have for dinner 3 years ago? 

Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

Eggplant Parmigiana

I had planned on frying the eggplant for this. It tastes so much better than when it it baked. But I could not bring myself to fry it. I kept thinking that we should keep it on the healthy side. Well next time we order subs I am getting a eggplant one because I am sure it will be fried!
So I dipped the eggplant in egg then Panko bread crumbs and baked it for about 15 minutes and flipped them and baked for about another 10 minutes. Next I layered homemade Marinara Sauce, the eggplant, shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Oh I also added seasonings - salt, pepper, oregano and crushed red pepper. The dished baked for about 20 minutes.
Even though I prefer the taste of fried eggplant this was pretty good... and I noticed someone went back for seconds. No I will not name names!

Bruschetta, a Little Salad and Eggplant Parmigiana

Too tired to fuss... so Bruschetta was prepared. The tomatoes were of course from our deck. This has been the best year so far for tomatoes.

The salad was made with Romaine and Baby Spinach. I added the leftover steak that we grilled the other night along with some fresh Mozzarella cheese.

Now the eggplant... I found this recipe on the NYTimes site. Putting the Egg in Eggplant Parmigiana. It sounded so interesting. So yesterday I gave it a try. I even prepared the eggplant a different way, baking them. There was a link in the NYTimes article, Fixing Eggplant Parmesan, that explained the procedure. Pour some olive oil onto a sheet pan (I lined mine with non-stick foil), turn the eggplant slices in the oil and bake in a 375-degree oven, turning occasionally, until tender. I would recommend reading the article. It was very interesting. The Eggplant recipe was good but I think the next time I will bread the eggplant and then bake them.