Mini Eggplant Parmigiana Food

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• Prepare the eggplant: Beat together the eggs, cheese, parsley, pepper, and garlic powder. Some people put the peeled, sliced eggplant in a colander with a heavy object on top, so it can drain somewhat. It's been known to be less tart, then. I don't do this any longer, because I found little or no difference in tartness.
• Dip the sliced eggplant pieces into the egg mixture and then into the bread crumbs, so that they're nicely coated. Fry each piece in olive oil until very brown on both sides. This is important. If the eggplants are not thinly cut or if they're not browned enough, the taste of the entire dish is not right. Both hands have to be working to get a good system going for this, and I use a medium to high flame. At certain intervals, I stop and dump the oil, wash the pan, and begin with a clean pan. This makes a big difference.
• As the eggplant pieces are done, you can drain them on a paper towel and then place them in a baking pan. When you have enough for one layer, coat the layer generously with tomato sauce. (Reserve meats to eat seperately.) On top of that, sprinkle grated mozzarella generously. Keep repeating layers. Make sure the sides of your pan get some sauce, too. Now, I freeze this before baking. When I defrost it, I bake it as usual, and it's great. But if you want to eat it now, bake it in a preheated 350 degree F until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbly
• Prepare the meats: In a large skillet, brown all the meats in the olive oil. There is no need to cook the meats all the way through. Remember to pierce the sausage before cooking to allow fats and water to be released. Set meats aside.
• Prepare meatballs: Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a large bowl. Form the meatballs with your hands (there should be about 12). Fry in the olive oil over medium heat until browned, but not cooked all the way through. Set aside.
• For the gravy: Saute garlic in the olive oil in the same skillet used to saute the meats. Add tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. In a large saucepot, combine the remaining ingredients except the meats and the tomato paste-garlic mixture and simmer. When the mixture begins to bubble, add all the meats and the meatballs. Stir about every 15 minutes, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent burning and sticking. If the gravy seems too thick, add a little water at a time. Simmer for about 3 hours, keeping the lid of the pot slightly askew to prevent condensation of the gravy.

MINI EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• Wash and trim the eggplant; cut it into 1/8-inch thick slices.
• Sprinkle them with salt and let them purge.
• Dredge them in flour and sauté them in several batches in a large pan with a drizzle of hot oil. Let them dry on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place 4 eggplant slices on the bottom of a small baking dish; top them with 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce, 1 torn basil leaf, 1 thin slice of mozzarella cut into pieces, and a sprinkling of Parmigiano cheese. Repeat 3 or 4 times.
• Bake at 400°F on the convection setting for about 10 minutes. Let it cool and serve.

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

EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Dust the eggplant with flour, dip in egg and panfry in a non-stick pan in oil.
• Drain well on paper towels.
• Heat a little oil in a large non-stick pan and gently sauté onion and garlic. Add pasta sauce, wine, pesto and pepper. Bring to the boil and boil for a few minutes to allow the liquid to reduce a little. Season to taste.
• Put some of the sauce in the base of an ovenproof casserole dish, top with a layer of eggplant, and then mozzarella and sauce. Repeat this process, finishing with a thick layer of sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan.
• Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes. If the dish has been pre-prepared, you will need to cook it for longer, probably 30-40 minutes.
• Serve with a simple green salad.