I can’t believe its been a year

Well I just spent two weeks working in Vermont and Massachusetts and spent some

time looking for comfort foods traditional to new England. Of course its November and the

start of the holiday season. Lots of great food choices there. When I looked back at my blog

I realized it was just a year ago I started posting recipes. I was a little surprised to see that

I had not been diligent enough to post as many fun recipes as I had discovered. So my

resolution here is to get you many more recipes to add to your portfolio and dazzle your

spouse and family with.

So I thought I would do a little research at sloughhouse farms to see what veggies they

would have fresh for Thanksgiving. Well contrary to popular belief there is still lots of fresh

produce this time of year. So yes I was looking for holiday menu items like fresh brussel

sprouts, cauliflower, yams, sweet potatoes, and root veggies but discovered fresh corn on

the cob both white and yellow, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, green beans and some really

good looking eggplant. Well even though I was focused on the holiday’s I couldn’t pass up

one of my favorites, eggplant parmesan. So along with a few of the holiday items I got two

medium eggplants about a pound and a half each. Just the right amount to make a 15x10x3

pan for entertaining along with a loaf pan for a couple nights dinner for me.

EGG PLANT PARMESAN recipe

2 medium eggplant cut into 1/4 inch rounds

5 cups Italian bread crumbs

3 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp kosher salt plus salt as needed

fresh ground black pepper

all purpose flour for dredging

4 eggs beaten

3 tbsp milk

vegetable oil as needed

26 oz jar Ragu six cheese sauce

2 – 15 oz cans tomato sauce

2 – 6 oz cans tomato paste

8 oz dry red wine

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 oz thin sliced pepperoni

8 oz jar roasted red peppers – mezzetta

15 oz ricotta cheese 1 lb fresh mozzarella – sliced thin

1 lb grated mozzarella

2/3 cup grated parmesan – divided

roasted red bell peppers cut into strips

Arrange eggplant slices on a large baking sheet and sprinkle generously with kosher salt,

set aside and let juices drain from eggplant, about 1 hour. Rinse slices well under cold

running water, transfer to paper towels and blot dry.

In a large bowl mix ragu, tomato sauce, tomato paste, red wine, red pepper flakes and 1

tbsp Italian seasoning

In a large bowl whisk together 1 tsp salt, breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning and pepper

to taste.

Place flour in medium lipped plate ( pie tins or plates work great)

In medium bowl whisk egg and milk together.

In a large skillet pour oil to 1/2 inch deep and heat to 400 degrees so when eggplant goes

in to fry it drops the temp to approx 375 degrees

dredge eggplant slice’s in flour, then dip into egg mixture and then into breadcrumbs.

shake off excess and and place round in hot oil and fry turning once until golden brown,

about 3 minutes. Using tongs transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet.

preheat oven to 400 degrees, lightly brush with olive oil a large 15 x 10 x 3 baking dish.

Cover bottom of dish with a layer of sauce mixture. arrange a layer of eggplant rounds over

sauce, cover the entire pan ( cut pieces if necessary) sprinkle on 1/3 of the grated

parmesan, cover with more sauce. Place 1/2 of the pepperoni slices over eggplant layer, dot

with 1/2 the ricotta and cover with 1/2 of the grated mozzarella, repeat layers until pan is

full. On the last layer cover grated parmesan with sauce, cover sauce with sliced mozzarella

and top with roasted bell pepper strips. Bake until hot and bubbly and mozzarella slices just

begin to brown about 40 Min’s. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 Min’s before serving.

Enjoy with a Byecroft road zinfandel.

Comments

[Adrienne]

Really like the blog, appreciate the share!