OH YUM! Hubby told me if he had been served this in a restaurant, he would go back to that restaurant often. :)
I got this recipe from my friend Staci and have adapted it a little over the years to suit our taste.
EGGPLANT PARMESAN
1 fresh eggplant, peel the purple skin off (you don't have to, you can eat it, I just prefer not to). Cut into ½ to ¾ inch slices. Lay out on anything you want, sprinkle with salt on both sides, let rest for about 30 minutes, rinse off the salt after 30 minutes. (This tenderized your eggplant & makes it less bitter and makes it OH SO much better – you can skip this step if you want, but I would not suggest it)
2 or 3 eggs
flour
Canola oil
1 jar any pasta sauce you like. I like Rao’s marinara for my Eggplant Parm, but since they don’t have it here, I made my own. If you want the recipe, just ask & I will be happy to give it to you, but I know most of my readers just like to open jars and be done with it.
1 12 oz package mozzarella (I like fresh), cut into ¼ inch slices
Parmesan cheese (I like to use ½ parmesan, ½ pecorino romano)
Heat oil in skillet, coat eggplant slices in egg, then dip in flour. Add to heated oil. Fry for 1-2 minutes on one side, flip to other. Eggplant is done when it is a golden brown and you stick your fork in and it is soft. Drain on paper towel.
In a single layer put eggplant in a 9x12 pan (or larger). Put about ¼ cup sauce on top of each eggplant slice, top with a slice of mozzarella cheese, add parmesan cheese to top (as much as you want). Bake at 350 about 20 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted.
ITALIAN SALAD
I just threw this together; I was trying to mimic a recipe from my favorite Italian Restaurant, Buca Di Beppos. If you are ever close to a Buca's, go eat there & have the 1862 Salad. Ok, so I just went to the website, to find the correct name for the salad, and it is not on the menu...Aughh...I have no idea why they would take this salad off the menu, it is wonderful. Eat there anyway & order the salad that starts with a year.
Romaine lettuce
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Kalamata olives
Pepperoncinis
Red onion
Parmesan cheese, slice with a cheese grater to make large flakes (or just use the packaged stuff if you must)
Pepperoni
Hard salami
Roasted red & yellow peppers, you can buy or roast them yourself
Italian Herb Vinaigrette – Now, you can use store bought, but it won’t be as good. Take a few minutes to make your own, it is well worth it.
Italian Herb Vinaigrette
¼ cup olive oil
2 TBL red wine vinegar
1 minced garlic clove
1 TBL finely chopped fresh oregano, or ½ TBL dried oregano
2 TSP finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1 TSP dried
1 TBL ground mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together using a wire whisk. Viola, you have dressing. See, that wasn’t so hard now was it?
RSS Feed
