Lidias Stuffed Eggplant Food

MOM'S STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked. Boil the scooped-out center part until very soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add the seasoned ground beef to the pan and saute until all of its liquid is evaporated and the beef begins to brown slightly. Drain the beef, removing the extra, unnecessary fat. Let cool briefly and chop the cooked beef so that there are no large chunks of meat. In another medium saute pan over medium heat add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and saute the onions, peppers and garlic together.
• In a bowl mix together the cooked eggplant, vegetables, cooked beef, herbs, 1 cup of the cheese, bread crumbs, and the egg.
• Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly among the 2 halves.
• Top with chopped tomatoes and the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese, season with salt and pepper, place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish, and bake for 50 minutes in preheated oven. Let cool briefly, slice widthwise and serve.

CHICKEN WITH EGGPLANT (LIDIA BASTIANICH)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF degrees.
• Trim the eggplants, and peel if you prefer. Lidia stripes them,
• Slice on an angle, so that you have 12 good slices in all.
• Dredge the eggplant in flour that has been seasoned with salt, pepper & Italian seasoning.
• Heat a large skillet (preferably with a lid), add enough oil to coat the bottom, and fry the eggplant on medium-high heat until caramelized on both sides.
• Set aside on paper towels to drain while you make the chicken.
• Lightly pound the chicken breasts and dredge in the seasoned flour.
• Reheat the same skillet on medium heat, add two tablespoons of oil and tablespoons of butter, swirling to mix.
• Cook the chicken until caramelized on the one side.
• You want the chicken to brown--but do not try to hasten the process by cooking it on high heat.
• You want to do it over gentle heat so as not to toughen the meat.
• Turn them over to caramelize on the other side, and top each breast with two slices of eggplant, then a spoonful of sauce, two basil leaves, and a good sprinkling of cheese, and as much Italian seasoning as you want.
• Let cook for about two minutes, turn up the heat to medium-high, add the wine to the pan, then the remaining tomato sauce.
• Shake the pan a bit to mix, add in the last two tablespoons of butter and shake again to mix.
• Put the lid on the pan (if your pan does not have a lid, cover with foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray) and finish cooking in the oven--approx 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven and serve with a flourish.
• Try to use homemade tomato sauce, this is one of those dishes where you will be greatly rewarded for using the homemade sauce.
• To cut down on the fat/calories, you can grill or roast the eggplant instead.
• It is this final oven cooking that makes the chicken meltingly tender and the wine, tomato sauce and butter transform themselves into an incredible sauce.

LIDIA'S VEAL AND EGGPLANT GRATINATE (FOR ONE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If using eggplant, cut off ends and slice off two long strips of skin, one on each side. With 1 skin side up, so that each slice will have skin on both sides, slice eggplant lengthwise, 1/4inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dredge lightly in flour. If using zucchini, slice on diagonal, 1/4 inch thick.
• In a 6- to 8-inch ovenproof skillet (see Note), heat 1 tablespoon oil. Brown vegetable slices lightly on both sides, working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding pan. Add more oil as needed to keep pan lightly oiled. Remove and drain on paper towels.
• Sprinkle veal or chicken with salt and pepper, and dredge lightly in flour. Melt butter in same pan until it bubbles, then brown meat lightly on both sides. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add shallot to pan and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Pour in wine and simmer until syrupy.
• Turn off heat and place pieces of meat in skillet. Lay basil leaves or parsley over them, then arrange vegetable slices on top. Spoon tomato sauce over, sprinkle cheese on top, and pour about 2 tablespoons water (more or less, depending on thickness of tomato sauce) around edges of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until meat is cooked through and liquid in bottom of pan is thickened. Sprinkle with torn basil or chopped parsley; serve with crusty bread.

MEAT-STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh to make a shell about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Finely chop the flesh and set aside.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the onion, and cook until it begins to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Crumble in the ground beef, and pour the wine over the meat. Cook, breaking up the beef with the back of a wooden spoon, until the meat releases its juices and they then cook away, about 6 or 7 minutes. Add the bell pepper and chopped eggplant, and season with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Scrape into a bowl to cool.
• Pour the milk over the bread cubes in a small bowl. Once the bread has softened, squeeze out the excess milk and put the bread in the bowl with the cooled meat filling. Add the grated cheese, parsley, egg, and tomatoes, and mix well.
• Put the eggplant halves in a large baking dish, and drizzle with the remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon salt, and toss well to coat all of the eggplant with the oil. Fill the eggplant halves with the filling, and arrange snugly in the baking dish. Cover the dish with foil, and bake until the eggplant is tender all the way through, about 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover, and bake until the top of the filling is browned and crispy, about 10 minutes more.

LIDIA BASTANICH'S BAKED EGGPLANT IN TOMATO SAUCE (MELANZANE IN T

Steps:

• Trim the stem and bottom ends of each eggplant and, with a vegetable peeler, shave off ribbons of skin lengthwise, creating a zebra-striped pattern all around. Slice the eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Lightly salt the slices on both sides, using about a tablespoon in all, and layer them in a colander, set in a bowl or the sink. Invert a dinner plate over the piled slices, and weight it with cans or other heavy objects. Let the rounds drain for 30 minutes to an hour, then rinse them, and pat dry with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, and heat to 400 degrees F.
• Put the tomato sauce in a bowl, and stir in the olives, sliced pepperoncini capers, and basil. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a baking dish (I used a 9 X 9 dish, but the extra thick layers required an extra 20 minutes of baking time). Lay in half the eggplant slices in a single layer, overlapping if necessary. Drop spoonfuls of tomato sauce, another 1/2 cup total, on top of the eggplant layer, and sprinkle over it half the grated cheese. Lay in the remaining eggplant rounds in an even layer, spoon and spread the remaining sauce over them, and scatter the rest of the cheese all over the top.
• Tent the baking dish with a sheet of heavy aluminum foil, arching it so it doesn't touch the cheese topping, pressing it against the sides. Set the dish on a baking sheet, place in the oven, and bake for 45 minutes, until the juices are bubbling actively. Remove the foil, and continue baking for another 15 minutes or so, until the cheese topping is golden brown and eggplant is caramelized on the edges yet tender and easily pierced with the tip of knife.
• Let the eggplant rest for 20 minutes (to absorb the sauce). Cut portions with a knife, and lift them out with a wide spatula into warm shallow bowls.

LIDIA'S STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop the stems fine.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Sir in the red peppers and chopped mushroom stems and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove and cool.
• Toss the bread crumbs, grated cheese, 2 tablespoons of the parsley and the sauteed vegetables until thoroughly blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of each mushroom with the filling, pressing it in with a teaspoon until even with the sides of the mushrooms.
• Using 2 tablespoons of the butter, grease a 12-by-18-inch low-sided baking pan. Arrange the mushrooms side-by-side in the pan and, using the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, dot the top of each mushroom with about 1/4 teaspoon butter. Add the stock, wine, if using, and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley to the pan. If you like, drizzle the tops of the mushrooms with olive oil. Bake until the mushrooms are cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Serve the mushrooms on a warmed platter or divide them among warmed plates. Pour the pan juices into a small saucepan and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Boil until lightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon the juices over the mushrooms and serve immediately.

SICILIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Halve the eggplants lengthwise. Run a small sharp knife 1/2 inch in from the edges of the cut side of each eggplant. Scoop out the insides of the eggplants with a spoon and reserve, leaving 1/2 inch thick shells. Sprinkle 1 teaspoons salt into the eggplant shells and invert on paper towels while preparing the filling.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make the filling: Coarsely chop the reserved eggplant. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and chopped eggplant and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients with the remaining salt. Place the eggplant shells, cut side up, in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Mound the filling in each shell. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoons of oil. Pour water into the pan to a depth of 1/2 inch. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the edges of the eggplant are tender and the bread crumbs are very lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

LIDIA EGGPLANT RICE PARMEGIANO (PARMESAN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, 2 cups water, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until water is absorbed, about 7 minutes. The rice will still be al dente. Spread the rice onto a sheet pan to cool.
• Layer the eggplant in a large colander in the sink, and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt.
• Set a flat plate large enough to cover most of the eggplant slices, weighted with cans, to help press the excess liquid and bitterness from the eggplant. After about 20 minutes, rinse and drain the eggplant and pat dry.
• Heat the remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes; slosh out the can or bowl used for crushing with 1 cup of water, and add that as well. Season with the remaining teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Nestle the eggplant slices in the sauce, and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the basil, and remove from heat.
• In a medium bowl, toss together the two cheeses. Ladle about a third of the tomato sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Fish out and layer a third of the eggplant in an overlapping pattern. Spread over that half the rice, then another third of the eggplant in overlapping slices, and a third of the sauce. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Top with the final layer of rice, then eggplant and sauce, and the last of the cheese. Cover the dish with foil, taking care not to touch the cheese, and bake until bubbly around the edges, about 25 minutes. Uncover, and bake until browned and crusty on top, another 25 to 30 minutes.

MAMA CHIARELLO'S STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked. Chop eggplant that has been scooped out of the inside; place in saucepan, cover with water and boil until very soft, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Salt and pepper the beef. Add the seasoned ground beef to the pan, and saute until all of its liquid is evaporated and the beef begins to brown slightly. Let cool briefly, and chop the cooked beef so that there are no large chunks of meat. In another medium saute pan over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and saute the onion, pepper and garlic together in the oil.
• In a bowl, mix together the cooked eggplant, vegetables, beef, herbs, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs and the egg. Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly between the two halves.
• Top with chopped tomatoes, the remaining 1/4 cup cheese, remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs, and season with salt and pepper. Place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish, and bake for 50 minutes. Let cool briefly; slice widthwise and serve.