New Orleans Eggplant Napoleon Food

EGGPLANT NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place one eggplant on a baking sheet, and roast for one hour. Allow to cool. Slice in half lengthwise, and scoop pulp into a medium mixing bowl. Add olive oil to bowl, and blend well with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and reserve.
• Slice remaining eggplant into disks about 1/8 inch thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, beat eggs with a fork until blended. Dip each eggplant slice in the flour, egg and then the bread crumbs.
• In a medium saucepan, heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Add eggplant in small batches, and saute until brown on both sides, about a minute a side. Remove from pan, and drain on paper towels.
• To assemble, place a slice of eggplant on each of four plates, topped by a heaping tablespoon of reserved eggplant puree. Top with another slice of eggplant and another spoonful of puree, continuing until the eggplant and puree have been evenly distributed. Finish each napoleon with a slice of eggplant; there will be a total of four to six layers. Serve immediately.

EGGPLANT NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Arrange the eggplant slices on two sheet pans, sprinkle with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes or until they begin to sweat. Using a paper towel, pat the slices dry and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the pesto, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Toss in the eggplant to coat and let marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Dump the flour onto a shallow rimmed plate. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites and 1 cup of water. Combine the panko, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley and pepper on a second shallow rimmed plate.
• Spread a sheet of waxed paper on a clean work surface. Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dredge it in the flour first, shaking off the excess, and then dip it in the egg mixture followed by the breadcrumbs. Gently press the breadcrumbs onto both sides of the eggplant and place on the waxed paper. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices.
• Pour at least 2 inches of corn oil into a small, deep pot. Heat the oil over high until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, fry the eggplant slices until golden, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not crowd the pot. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant slices to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.
• Place an eggplant slice on a small plate. Spread with 2 tablespoons of the baba ghanouj, top with a second eggplant slice and spread 1 tablespoon of baba ghanouj on top. Repeat layering in this order with the remaining eggplant slices and baba ghanouj to make eight to ten eggplant stacks.
• Just before serving, toss together the salad: In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the pesto, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Drizzle just enough of the pesto mixture over the tomato-onion mixture to thoroughly coat. Spoon some salad around each napoleon and drizzle the napoleons with some of the dressing left in the bottom of the bowl. Serve immediately.

EGGPLANT NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Whisk eggs together in a deep container. Pour bread crumbs in another deep container.
• Dip each slice of eggplant into the eggs, covering both sides, and press into the bread crumbs until evenly coated.
• Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Arrange a layer of eggplant slices in the skillet; cook until crispy, 2 to 4 minutes. Spray tops with cooking spray and flip; continue cooking until second side is browned and eggplant is tender, 2 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining slices.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Arrange a layer of eggplant slices in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top each slice with a basil leaf, 1 tomato slice, and 1 slice of mozzarella cheese. Place another eggplant slice on top. Cover with remaining tomato and mozzarella cheese slices.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is softened, but not melted, about 5 minutes.