Tag: How to make
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.
How To Make Kombucha
How To Make Kombucha
I’m a huge fan of kombucha. But paying $4+ a bottle really adds up; especially when you drink one a day. That’s $120 a month, minimum. I felt that it was time to learn how to make it. It is so unbelievably easy and cost effective. Outside of the equipment, you can ultimately make 6 gallons of kombucha for about $20. I purchased a kombucha kit for about $50 that has everything you’ll need. The scoby culture can be reused up to 6 times.
Equipment
- 1 gallon glass jar with lid
- cheesecloth or cotton cloth
- rubber band
- reusable cotton teabag
- funnel with strainer
Ingredients
- 1 gallon water
- 4 tbsp loose leaf black, green, or oolong tea
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 scoby culture
- 2 cups fruit
- 6 20 oz glass bottles
Instructions
- Place 4 tbsp of loose leaf tea in the cotton teabag. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the tea steep for 10 minutes.
- Whisk in the sugar until dissolved.
- Poor the tea into the gallon jar. Fill up with 3 quarts of water. Placd the scoby into the jar.
- Place the cloth over the jar and secure with a rubber band. Allow to sit in a dark place for a week.
- After a week, scoop out the scoby from the jar and place in another jar.
- Poor out 1 cup of the kombucha and add it to the scoby. Use within a month if making more kombucha.
- Add in the fruit of your choice. Screw on the lid and let sit for 4 days.
- When ready to bottle, ladle the kombucha through a funnel with a strainer.
