Dj Donpastas Eggplant Parmesan Food

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Arrange the eggplant slices on several baking sheets and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt. Set aside to let the bitter juices weep from the eggplant, about 1 hour.
• Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, and season with pepper.
• Place the flour in a medium lipped plate or bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
• In a large straight-sided skillet, pour the oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until it registers 400 degrees F on a deep frying thermometer. (The oil must be heated to 400 degrees F. so that the breaded eggplant, when added, will drop the temperature of the oil to the proper frying temperature of 375 degrees F.)
• Working in small batches, fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 15 x 10- x 2-inch-baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/3 of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another 1/3 of the sauce. Scatter half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use immediately, store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Yield: about 3 1/2 cups
• Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

D.J. DONPASTA'S EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Cut the eggplants into rounds about 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and let sit for an hour in a colander in the sink.
• Meanwhile, make the meatballs: In a medium bowl, mix together the meat, 1 egg, parsley, pecorino, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons water to the bread crumbs. When absorbed, add this to the meatball mixture and combine well. Shape into small (1-inch) meatballs and fry in a skillet with a little oil over medium to medium-high heat until browned all over, about 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Turn off heat and cover to keep warm.
• In a small pan, bring 3 eggs to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit for 8 minutes. Run them under cold water until cool, peel and cut into thin slices.
• In a large deep pot, heat remaining oil. Whisk remaining 3 eggs in a wide, shallow dish and place flour in another wide, shallow dish, for dredging. Pat dry eggplant rounds, briefly dip in egg, then flour, and drop into the hot oil. Fry in batches, until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels.
• To assemble the casserole, spoon about 1 cup of the tomato sauce into a 9-by-13-inch (or 3-quart) baking dish. Layer a third of the eggplant rounds like shingles. Top with a third of the Parmigiano and basil, and half of the mozzarella, sliced egg, meatballs and mortadella. Spoon 1 cup of sauce over that and repeat, layering with another third of the eggplant rounds, then another third of the Parmigiano and basil, and the remainder of the mozzarella, egg and meats. Spoon 1 cup of sauce over that. Finish with a final layer of eggplant rounds; top with remaining sauce, Parmigiano and basil. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve lukewarm.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Marinara Sauce: Trim root ends of the garlic cloves, then smash with the flat side of a knife. Peel off skins and set aside. In a 4-quart Dutch oven over high heat, add oil, followed by garlic. When the garlic begins to sizzle, add a pinch of salt. Stir and toast the garlic until deep golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Add red pepper flakes (optional, for heat), reduce temperature to low, and add tomatoes. Increase heat to medium, add two pinches of salt and two pinches of sugar, and bring sauce to a simmer, 10-12 minutes. When simmering, taste and adjust for seasoning. Turn off heat.In a large bowl, add two large sprigs of basil, then pour the sauce over the basil. Set aside to steep while preparing the eggplant. (Makes 2 quarts. Once cool, remove and discard basil; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4-5 days or in the freezer up to 3 months.)
• Breading Mixture: In a large bowl, add seasoned breadcrumbs, oregano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino, and a big pinch of salt. Stir to mix well and set aside. In another large bowl, whisk eggs; season with a generous amount of black pepper and a few pinches of salt. Add flour to a large bowl.
• Prepare eggplant: Use a vegetable peeler to peel the eggplant; discard peel. Cut away the stem ends and discard. Use a mandoline to slice eggplant lengthwise into ⅛-inch thick slices; for safety, make the last few slices with a chef's knife.
• Arrange bowls side by side for dredging: flour, eggs, and breading mixture. First dredge each eggplant slice in flour, shaking off excess. Then coat with the beaten egg, followed by the breading mixture. Set breaded eggplant on a rack fitted over a baking sheet until ready to fry.
• Fry eggplant cutlets: In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add ⅓ cup oil. (Adjust amount as needed to have about ¼ inch of oil in the pan.) Test the oil's temperature by adding a few drops of water: if the water sizzles right away, the oil is ready for frying. Gently lay the eggplant into the oil facing away from you to avoid getting splattered. Let fry undisturbed, about 2 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain the temperature.Once the first side of the eggplant is golden brown, use tongs to gently flip (facing away from you again) and fry the other side until golden brown and delicious-or "GBD," as Chef Tacinelli puts it- about 1 more minute. As they finish frying, arrange eggplant cutlets in an even layer to drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. (Once the sheet pan is full, cover with more paper towels and place freshly fried eggplant on top.) Fry remaining eggplant, adding more oil as needed and keeping the temperature steady.
• Assembly: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove basil and garlic cloves from tomato sauce and discard. In another bowl, combine the Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino cheeses.Spread 1 cup sauce across the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange eggplant cutlets in a single even layer, tearing some into smaller pieces as necessary to fill the gaps. Press the eggplant layer gently into the sauce. (Do this each time you add an eggplant layer.) Next, spread ⅓ cup sauce over the eggplant, followed by ¼ cup Parmigiano-Pecorino mixture. In even layers, add eggplant, ⅓ cup sauce, ¼ cup Parmigiano-Pecorino, ¾ cup mozzarella, and half of the basil leaves. Then add another layer of eggplant, sauce, and Parmigiano-Pecorino. Finally, layer the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmigiano-Pecorino, basil, and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake, 45 minutes. (Here are the layers once more, from the bottom up: 1 C sauce, eggplant, ⅓ C sauce, ¼ C Parmigiano-Pecorino, eggplant, ⅓ C sauce, ¼ C Parmigiano-Pecorino, ¾ C mozzarella, half the basil leaves, eggplant, ⅓ C sauce, ¼ C Parmigiano-Pecorino, remaining eggplant, ⅓ C sauce, ¼ C Parmigiano-Pecorino, remaining basil, ¾ C mozzarella.)
• After 45 minutes, remove Eggplant Parmesan from oven and remove foil. Bake another 10 minutes, uncovered, until golden brown and bubbly. Let rest 20-30 minutes, then cut into squares with a chef's knife and plate with a spatula. Chef Tacinelli likes to add a ladle of hot marinara just before serving.

EGGPLANT PARM ONE-POT PASTA

Steps:

• Add the butter to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the breadcrumbs and toast until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in the Dutch oven until hot. Add the garlic, eggplant and onion, season with the salt and cook, stirring, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, pasta, chicken stock, red pepper flakes and basil. Bring to simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove the lid and stir in the Parmesan and mozzarella. Turn off the heat and continue to stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is thick.
• Serve garnished with plenty of toasted breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley and basil.

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• For the tomato sauce: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions become translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar and the canned tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break up some of the whole tomatoes and cook 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring from time to time. Taste for seasoning, the tomatoes should be fairly broken down and the flavors coming together. Cook for another few minutes if the tomatoes still taste like they need a little more time to break down. Set aside to cool.
• For the eggplant (this step is optional, leave it out if you have limited time): Arrange the eggplant rounds in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt on both sides of each slice and allow it to sit for about 1 hour. Salting it draws out the liquid and bitter flavor. After an hour, rinse with cold water and dry them thoroughly with a kitchen towel.
• Put the flour in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the oregano and fresh thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Dip each eggplant slice in the flour and shake off any excess. Then, dip in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Make sure to coat both sides of each slice of eggplant. Arrange them in single layers on the baking sheets.
• In a large skillet, pour enough oil to accumulate about 1/2-inch in the bottom. Heat the oil until it begins to smoke lightly (alternatively, test with a thermometer and wait until the oil registers between 380 degrees F and 400 degrees F). Use a pair of kitchen tongs to add a single layer of the eggplant to the pan. Cook them until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil and transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a kitchen towel so the eggplant can drain as the others cook. Season lightly with salt. Take care to reheat the oil back up to temperature before adding another batch of slices to the pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To assemble: In a 9 by 13-inch flameproof baking dish, spoon about 1/4 of the tomato sauce on the bottom. Top with a layer of the fried eggplant; the eggplant slices can overlap slightly. Top with about 1/3 of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with about 1/4 of the Parmesan and provolone cheeses. Top with a layer of torn basil leaves. Spoon sauce and repeat the layering 2 more times to make 3 layers. End with the remaining mozzarella. Carefully press the layers down firmly into the dish once assembled. Place the dish in the top part of the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. For extra browning, put the dish under the broiler for a minute or two just before serving to get an extra brown cheesy top. I always nibble on a bit of that before sharing it with my friends!