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Baked Eggplant Parmigiana
Baked Eggplant Parmigiana
I’ve very recently fell in love with eggplant parmigiana. I ate it from my work’s deli hot bar. It was good, but I knew that I could make it better. Eggplant parmigiana’s origins are from the southern regions of Italy; Calabrian, Campania, Apulia, and Sicily all claiming it’s creation. The dish consists of breaded and fried slices of eggplant baked in a tomato sauce, topped with parmesan cheese. Instead of frying the eggplant, I baked it in the oven until crispy; reducing the amount of oil used to make it slightly healthier. To completely ruin the healthier aspect, I added a garlic cream sauce to the dish; plus slices of mozzarella.
Ingredients
Cream Sauce
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- black pepper to taste
- salt to taste
Eggplant Parmigiana
- 1 large eggplant sliced into 1” pieces
- salt
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cups tomato sauce divided
- fresh mozzarella sliced
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Slice the eggplant and salt liberally to extract the moisture. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Make an assembly line of flour in a bowl, beaten egg in one, and breadcrumbs in another. Dredge the eggplant in flour, then the beaten egg, and finally the breadcrumbs.
- Pour the olive oil on a baking sheet. Place the breaded eggplant on the baking sheet.
- Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes; flipping half way through.
- While the eggplant is baking, melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Sauté the minced garlic for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour.
- Pour in the whole milk and continue to whisk for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Take off the heat. Whisk in the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour half of the tomato sauce into a large glass baking dish. Arrange the eggplant on top of the sauce.
- Pour over the cream sauce.
- Place a spoonful of sauce on top of each slice of eggplant; followed by a slice of mozzarella. Season with the dried herbs. Top with the parmesan cheese.
- Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is bubbly. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Garlic Scapes
Garlic Scapes
I’ve been meaning to try scapes for sometime now. You most likely will never find them in a grocery store. The place to go is your local farmers market, usually sold in bunches. Scapes are the stalks that grow out of hardneck garlic bulbs; harvested right before they flower. They’re typically available from spring into summer. They taste like a cross between a garlicky green bean and green onion. They can be used in a stir fry, pestos, compound butter, salad dressings, or as a side with even more garlic, finished off with a squeeze of lemon.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 bunch scapes
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 small lemon juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the scapes. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
Bangladeshi Beef Curry
Bangladeshi Beef Curry
Beef bhuna is a commonly eaten curry in Bangladesh. The curry is fairly spicy; getting it’s heat from bird’s eye chilies and cayenne pepper. You can use any type of beef cut that’s good for simmering for a long period of time, including chuck, arm, bottom round, or short ribs. The curry is always served with basmati rice and naan or roti.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 5 bird’s eye green chilies finely
- 1 tbsp ginger finely minced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 cup water
- 2 lbs chuck roast cut into 1” cubes
- salt to taste
Garnish
- cilantro chopped
- green onions chopped
Instructions
- Heat up the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions for 15 minutes until golden brown. Add in the garlic, chilies, and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Addin the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and cloves. Sauté for 2 minutes. Pour in the water, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic powder, and cayenne.
- Add in the cubed beef. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 90 minutes.
