Appetizer Party Platter

I'm always looking for easy appetizers to bring to a party or to make ahead when I'm hosting a party in my own home. It's easy to fall into a rut and make the same boring appetizers over and over, I'm guilty of it myself. I created this appetizer plate with some of the usual items but tried to add something different to make them feel new again.  The stuffed mushrooms and peppers had the usual bread crumb filling but I added some crispy prosciutto to the mixture. On the mushrooms I added a little piece of Italian Fontina cheese to the top of each one. The potatoes (trader joe's teeny tiny potatoes) were sauteed with shallots sundried tomatoes and then tossed with a premade muffaletta salad.  Recipes to come soon!

Appetizer Party Platter

I'm always looking for easy appetizers to bring to a party or to make ahead when I'm hosting a party in my own home. It's easy to fall into a rut and make the same boring appetizers over and over, I'm guilty of it myself. I created this appetizer plate with some of the usual items but tried to add something different to make them feel new again.  The stuffed mushrooms and peppers had the usual bread crumb filling but I added some crispy prosciutto to the mixture. On the mushrooms I added a little piece of Italian Fontina cheese to the top of each one. The potatoes (trader joe's teeny tiny potatoes) were sauteed with shallots sundried tomatoes and then tossed with a premade muffaletta salad.  Recipes to come soon!

Pasta with Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini and Onions

This past weekend I hosted my 3rd Annual Cookie Exchange.  It was so much fun as always!  I chose Fudge Puddles as my cookie this year because I loved them so much when I made them a few months ago.  Hopefully everyone who attended liked them too!

My party is always a brunch because I know how busy everyone is this time of year and I don't want anyone to feel like this is a hassle.  My goal is for this to be a lot of fun and I want people to want to come back year after year.  I'm happy to say that most people have come back each year!  My brunch menu was Hash Brown Potato pancakes (which I am renaming Red and Green Potato Pancakes - recipe coming soon) topped with a poached egg, Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Shot Glass Apple Parfaits (recipe coming this week), Spinach Quiche, Stromboli (coming soon), Buffalo Chicken Stromboli (coming soon) and Pasta with Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini and Onions.  I think the menu was very well received!  I've made the pasta dish before and this time I took a little bit of a short cut and instead of making my own garlic oil I tossed it with a bottled one we bought on Newbury Street in Boston.  I prefer it with the homemade garlic oil but the other worked in a pinch (I was running very late!).

My friend Rachel has her own blog and posted about the cookie exchange. I hope you'll check out her post!  Don't forget to leave her a comment and show her some love.  :-) The photo above was taken by her and her fancy new camera!

Michele’s Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, cubed

3 small zucchini, cubed

1 large red onion, sliced into half moons

2 teaspoons dried of frozen basil (Dorat)

1 cup Extra Virgin Oil Olive, plus more for drizzling

10 cloves garlic, peeled and cracked

Crushed red pepper to taste

Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

2 lbs pasta, any short cut

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 375º

2.  Spread veggies over multiple baking sheets (do not over crowd), drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper. Toss to coat with oil.

3.  Roast in oven for approximately 20 minutes or until brown and tender, tossing once in between to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking.

4.  In a small pot; heat garlic, oil, crushed red pepper, basil and salt for about 10 – 15 minutes over medium-low heat.  This is to infuse garlic with oil – do not let the garlic brown.  Once cooled remove garlic and discard.

5.  Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, drain.

6.  Toss with veggies and infused oil.  Sprinkle with Romano cheese and serve.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Pasta with Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini and Onions

This past weekend I hosted my 3rd Annual Cookie Exchange.  It was so much fun as always!  I chose Fudge Puddles as my cookie this year because I loved them so much when I made them a few months ago.  Hopefully everyone who attended liked them too!

My party is always a brunch because I know how busy everyone is this time of year and I don't want anyone to feel like this is a hassle.  My goal is for this to be a lot of fun and I want people to want to come back year after year.  I'm happy to say that most people have come back each year!  My brunch menu was Hash Brown Potato pancakes (which I am renaming Red and Green Potato Pancakes - recipe coming soon) topped with a poached egg, Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Shot Glass Apple Parfaits (recipe coming this week), Spinach Quiche, Stromboli (coming soon), Buffalo Chicken Stromboli (coming soon) and Pasta with Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini and Onions.  I think the menu was very well received!  I've made the pasta dish before and this time I took a little bit of a short cut and instead of making my own garlic oil I tossed it with a bottled one we bought on Newbury Street in Boston.  I prefer it with the homemade garlic oil but the other worked in a pinch (I was running very late!).

My friend Rachel has her own blog and posted about the cookie exchange. I hope you'll check out her post!  Don't forget to leave her a comment and show her some love.  :-) The photo above was taken by her and her fancy new camera!

Michele’s Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, cubed

3 small zucchini, cubed

1 large red onion, sliced into half moons

2 teaspoons dried of frozen basil (Dorat)

1 cup Extra Virgin Oil Olive, plus more for drizzling

10 cloves garlic, peeled and cracked

Crushed red pepper to taste

Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

2 lbs pasta, any short cut

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 375º

2.  Spread veggies over multiple baking sheets (do not over crowd), drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper. Toss to coat with oil.

3.  Roast in oven for approximately 20 minutes or until brown and tender, tossing once in between to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking.

4.  In a small pot; heat garlic, oil, crushed red pepper, basil and salt for about 10 – 15 minutes over medium-low heat.  This is to infuse garlic with oil – do not let the garlic brown.  Once cooled remove garlic and discard.

5.  Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, drain.

6.  Toss with veggies and infused oil.  Sprinkle with Romano cheese and serve.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Lasagna with Ricotta and Eggplant

I ate a lot of Eggplant this summer and here I am craving it again.  I should make my mom's eggplant parmigiana again soon.  There's something about having that dish in the cool weather.  It's especially good leftover in a sandwich on a fresh Italian roll.  Here is another dish that hits the spot on a cold day, especially if you are a fan of eggplant.  Remember the pasta with roasted garlic and eggplant sauce I made this summer?  I had some leftover in my freezer and thought that it would be fantastic in lasagna.  Guess what?  I was right!

Lasagna with Roasted Garlic and Eggplant


1 15 oz carton Ricotta
1 large egg, beaten
approx 1/4 cup fresh parsley
approx 3/4 cup romano cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
pepper

1 box no boil lasagna sheets

1 cup shredded mozarella
1 1/2 cups roasted garlic and eggplant sauce, warm
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, warm (see recipe below)

Directions:
In a medium bowl combine ricotta, egg, parsley, 3/4 cup cheese and pepper. In a small baking dish ladle in some marinara sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.  Add a layer of no bake lasagna sheets.  Add another layer of sauce and sprinkle with some cheese.  Add about half of the ricotta mixture and spread evenly.  Add a think layer of shredded mozzarella.  Top with another layer of the pasta.  If possible turn the lasagna sheets this time around so the layers alternate (horizontal, vertical) and the layers stay together.  (Sometimes the lasagna sheets are too short and this doesn't work but this is what we always did when we boiled the sheets.) Add another layers of sauce and sprinkle of cheese.  Don't be stingy on the sauce because the moisture is what cooks the pasta.  The second layer will be all of the eggplant sauce and a layer of mozzarella.  Once again add a layer of pasta, marinara sauce and grated cheese.  Top with the rest of the ricotta mixture and more shredded mozzarella.  Top with the final layer of pasta, marinara sauce, cheese and some shredded mozzarella.  Cover with foil.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  Let settle for 15 minutes before slicing.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:


1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
3 tsp chopped fresh basil (use less if dried)
1-2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Sweat onions in extra virgin olive oil and then add garlic in oil. Let it cook for a minute or to and then add crushed red pepper and frozen or dried herbs. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar. If using fresh herbs add now. Let it come to a boil and then lower heat. Cook on medium for 30-40 minutes. Taste it and adjust seasoning as needed.

Roasted Eggplant Sauce

Ingredients:

2 eggplants, partially peeled (peel every other section so it looks striped), cut into large dice
4-5 tomatoes, cut into large dice
1 large vidalia onion, cut into large dice
1 head of garlic
Fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
pecorino romano cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Prepare 3 sheet pans with parchment paper (makes clean up a lot easier) and spread out eggplant and onion over 2 cookie sheets and put the tomatoes on the 3rd. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.

3. Slice top off of the head of garlic so garlic is exposed. Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper. Wrap well in foil and place in a small oven safe bowl or if you have space on your cookie sheet put it there. (Do not put it directly in oven as the oil make leak out and onto your oven.)

4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and toss and flip so all sides get color. Cook veggies until soft and browned. Tomatoes may come out sooner than the eggplant. Check on the garlic - when a knife can easily pierce the garlic it is ready. The garlic can easily over cook and become burnt and hard. Check every 5 mins afterward if it's not yet ready. Remove everything from the oven and allow to cool.

5. When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out of the papery skin. It will come right out. When veggies have cooled down add them and garlic to a food processor (you may have to do this in batches and just add to a bowl to combine when it's all blended). If it's very thick drizzle in some oil while the food processor is on. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add torn basil.


Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Lasagna with Ricotta and Eggplant

I ate a lot of Eggplant this summer and here I am craving it again.  I should make my mom's eggplant parmigiana again soon.  There's something about having that dish in the cool weather.  It's especially good leftover in a sandwich on a fresh Italian roll.  Here is another dish that hits the spot on a cold day, especially if you are a fan of eggplant.  Remember the pasta with roasted garlic and eggplant sauce I made this summer?  I had some leftover in my freezer and thought that it would be fantastic in lasagna.  Guess what?  I was right!

Lasagna with Roasted Garlic and Eggplant


1 15 oz carton Ricotta
1 large egg, beaten
approx 1/4 cup fresh parsley
approx 3/4 cup romano cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
pepper

1 box no boil lasagna sheets

1 cup shredded mozarella
1 1/2 cups roasted garlic and eggplant sauce, warm
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, warm (see recipe below)

Directions:
In a medium bowl combine ricotta, egg, parsley, 3/4 cup cheese and pepper. In a small baking dish ladle in some marinara sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.  Add a layer of no bake lasagna sheets.  Add another layer of sauce and sprinkle with some cheese.  Add about half of the ricotta mixture and spread evenly.  Add a think layer of shredded mozzarella.  Top with another layer of the pasta.  If possible turn the lasagna sheets this time around so the layers alternate (horizontal, vertical) and the layers stay together.  (Sometimes the lasagna sheets are too short and this doesn't work but this is what we always did when we boiled the sheets.) Add another layers of sauce and sprinkle of cheese.  Don't be stingy on the sauce because the moisture is what cooks the pasta.  The second layer will be all of the eggplant sauce and a layer of mozzarella.  Once again add a layer of pasta, marinara sauce and grated cheese.  Top with the rest of the ricotta mixture and more shredded mozzarella.  Top with the final layer of pasta, marinara sauce, cheese and some shredded mozzarella.  Cover with foil.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  Let settle for 15 minutes before slicing.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:


1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
3 tsp chopped fresh basil (use less if dried)
1-2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Sweat onions in extra virgin olive oil and then add garlic in oil. Let it cook for a minute or to and then add crushed red pepper and frozen or dried herbs. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar. If using fresh herbs add now. Let it come to a boil and then lower heat. Cook on medium for 30-40 minutes. Taste it and adjust seasoning as needed.

Roasted Eggplant Sauce

Ingredients:

2 eggplants, partially peeled (peel every other section so it looks striped), cut into large dice
4-5 tomatoes, cut into large dice
1 large vidalia onion, cut into large dice
1 head of garlic
Fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
pecorino romano cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Prepare 3 sheet pans with parchment paper (makes clean up a lot easier) and spread out eggplant and onion over 2 cookie sheets and put the tomatoes on the 3rd. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.

3. Slice top off of the head of garlic so garlic is exposed. Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper. Wrap well in foil and place in a small oven safe bowl or if you have space on your cookie sheet put it there. (Do not put it directly in oven as the oil make leak out and onto your oven.)

4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and toss and flip so all sides get color. Cook veggies until soft and browned. Tomatoes may come out sooner than the eggplant. Check on the garlic - when a knife can easily pierce the garlic it is ready. The garlic can easily over cook and become burnt and hard. Check every 5 mins afterward if it's not yet ready. Remove everything from the oven and allow to cool.

5. When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out of the papery skin. It will come right out. When veggies have cooled down add them and garlic to a food processor (you may have to do this in batches and just add to a bowl to combine when it's all blended). If it's very thick drizzle in some oil while the food processor is on. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add torn basil.


Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Eggplant Sauce

If you are a reader of this blog you know that when Steve isn't home for dinner I try to make something that I know I can't make when he's around.  Steve is not a fan of eggplant andI had some from the farmer's market along with some tomatoes from my parents' garden. I remembered a recipe from Rachael Ray.  She made a pasta sauce from pureed eggplant.  She puts her eggplant in the oven whole and scoops it out but I wanted more caramelized flavor on the eggplant so I roasted it in cubes.  I absolutely LOVED this recipe.  Probably one of my favorite eggplant recipes of all time! I debated about posting this recipe because the picture was lacking some color.  I posted it on my facebook page and I was assured the photo was good enough to post so hope you all think so too.  The only problem is I don't have an exact recipe to follow here.  I am going to have to make it again to perfect it and write down the measurements.  So this recipe is an approximation.  Give it a try and use your own judgement (more or less tomatoes, onion, etc) otherwise  wait for me to try this once again.  One thing I did realize is that it would be much better to roast the tomatoes on a seperate cookie sheet since they give off too much water and prevent the eggplant from browning well. 


Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Eggplant Sauce


Ingredients:


2 eggplants, partially peeled (peel every other section so it looks striped), cut into large dice
4-5 tomatoes, cut into large dice 
1 large vidalia onion, cut into large dice
1 head of garlic
Fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
pecorino romano cheese, grated


Directions:


1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


2.  Prepare 3 sheet pans with parchment paper (makes clean up a lot easier) and spread out eggplant and onion over 2 cookie sheets and put the tomatoes on the 3rd.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.  

3.  Slice top off of the head of garlic so garlic is exposed.  Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper.  Wrap well in foil and place in a small oven safe bowl or if you have space on your cookie sheet put it there.  (Do not put it directly in oven as the oil make leak out and onto your oven.) 


4.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and toss and flip so all sides get color. Cook veggies until soft and browned. Tomatoes may come out sooner than the eggplant. Check on the garlic - when a knife can easily pierce the garlic it is ready.  The garlic can easily over cook and become burnt and hard.  Check every 5 mins afterward if it's not yet ready.   Remove everything from the oven and allow to cool.


5.  Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out of the papery skin.  It will come right out.  When veggies have cooled down add them and garlic to a food processor (you may have to do this in batches and just add to a bowl to combine when it's all blended).  If it's very thick drizzle in some oil while the food processor is on.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add torn basil.  


6.  Cook pasta until al dente and reserve some pasta water.  Return pasta to pot and toss in eggplant mixture.  If it looks like it's too thick add a little bit of the pasta water.  Toss with romano cheese and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Eggplant Sauce

If you are a reader of this blog you know that when Steve isn't home for dinner I try to make something that I know I can't make when he's around.  Steve is not a fan of eggplant andI had some from the farmer's market along with some tomatoes from my parents' garden. I remembered a recipe from Rachael Ray.  She made a pasta sauce from pureed eggplant.  She puts her eggplant in the oven whole and scoops it out but I wanted more caramelized flavor on the eggplant so I roasted it in cubes.  I absolutely LOVED this recipe.  Probably one of my favorite eggplant recipes of all time! I debated about posting this recipe because the picture was lacking some color.  I posted it on my facebook page and I was assured the photo was good enough to post so hope you all think so too.  The only problem is I don't have an exact recipe to follow here.  I am going to have to make it again to perfect it and write down the measurements.  So this recipe is an approximation.  Give it a try and use your own judgement (more or less tomatoes, onion, etc) otherwise  wait for me to try this once again.  One thing I did realize is that it would be much better to roast the tomatoes on a seperate cookie sheet since they give off too much water and prevent the eggplant from browning well. 


Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Eggplant Sauce


Ingredients:


2 eggplants, partially peeled (peel every other section so it looks striped), cut into large dice
4-5 tomatoes, cut into large dice 
1 large vidalia onion, cut into large dice
1 head of garlic
Fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
pecorino romano cheese, grated


Directions:


1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


2.  Prepare 3 sheet pans with parchment paper (makes clean up a lot easier) and spread out eggplant and onion over 2 cookie sheets and put the tomatoes on the 3rd.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.  

3.  Slice top off of the head of garlic so garlic is exposed.  Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper.  Wrap well in foil and place in a small oven safe bowl or if you have space on your cookie sheet put it there.  (Do not put it directly in oven as the oil make leak out and onto your oven.) 


4.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and toss and flip so all sides get color. Cook veggies until soft and browned. Tomatoes may come out sooner than the eggplant. Check on the garlic - when a knife can easily pierce the garlic it is ready.  The garlic can easily over cook and become burnt and hard.  Check every 5 mins afterward if it's not yet ready.   Remove everything from the oven and allow to cool.


5.  Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out of the papery skin.  It will come right out.  When veggies have cooled down add them and garlic to a food processor (you may have to do this in batches and just add to a bowl to combine when it's all blended).  If it's very thick drizzle in some oil while the food processor is on.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add torn basil.  


6.  Cook pasta until al dente and reserve some pasta water.  Return pasta to pot and toss in eggplant mixture.  If it looks like it's too thick add a little bit of the pasta water.  Toss with romano cheese and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parmigiana is one of those things that I don't order out. I have encountered too many issues with this dish in restaurants and ended up not enjoying my meal. While I keep the skin on when I make my fried eggplant, I do not like the skin on it on this dish. It doesn't actually need it to stay together because it is breaded and if you do leave the skin on it could create a mess when chewing and trying to pull of the piece of skin that has gotten stuck in your teeth. Not fun. The other reason is that sometimes the eggplant is sliced too thick and is somewhat firm in the center. I like the eggplant layers to meld together and just melt in your mouth. That's how it was always made when I grew up and this is how I make it now. So, if you like melt in your mouth eggplant, you'll like this dish!

Again, I don't measure for this dish but if you've made chicken cutlets before it's the same thing.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized eggplant
3 eggs
splash of milk
romano cheese
salt and pepper
italian style breadcrumbs or plain breadcrumbs seasoned with parsley & garlic powder
canola oil, for frying
marinara sauce
16 oz mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced

Directions:

1. Peel eggplant and thinly slice about 1/4 inch thick.

2. Beat eggs and add a splash of milk, salt and pepper.

3. Season breadcrumbs (whichever you chose) and add romano cheese.

4. Dip eggplant slices (cover both sides) in egg mixture and then in breadcrumbs patting down with your hand to help crumbs adhere to the eggplant. Do this on both sides.

5. Using a large frying pan, brown eggplant slices on both sides in canola oil. Make sure your oil is very hot because eggplant sucks up oil like a sponge. Drain slices on a paper towel (don't forget to eat a piece when it's cooled, it's just as yummy plain!).

6. In a medium sized deep baking pan (I used my medium rectangular pyrex)ladle some marinara sauce to lightly cover the bottom. Add slices of eggplant slightly overlapping (if they are sliced thin you can do this). Add another layer of sauce, sprinkle of romano cheese and mozzarella. Don't put the mozzarella on too thick. Add another layer of eggplant and continue to layer the same way until all of your eggplant is used. The last layer should be mozzarella.

7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Let eggplant settle for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parmigiana is one of those things that I don't order out. I have encountered too many issues with this dish in restaurants and ended up not enjoying my meal. While I keep the skin on when I make my fried eggplant, I do not like the skin on it on this dish. It doesn't actually need it to stay together because it is breaded and if you do leave the skin on it could create a mess when chewing and trying to pull of the piece of skin that has gotten stuck in your teeth. Not fun. The other reason is that sometimes the eggplant is sliced too thick and is somewhat firm in the center. I like the eggplant layers to meld together and just melt in your mouth. That's how it was always made when I grew up and this is how I make it now. So, if you like melt in your mouth eggplant, you'll like this dish!

Again, I don't measure for this dish but if you've made chicken cutlets before it's the same thing.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized eggplant
3 eggs
splash of milk
romano cheese
salt and pepper
italian style breadcrumbs or plain breadcrumbs seasoned with parsley & garlic powder
canola oil, for frying
marinara sauce
16 oz mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced

Directions:

1. Peel eggplant and thinly slice about 1/4 inch thick.

2. Beat eggs and add a splash of milk, salt and pepper.

3. Season breadcrumbs (whichever you chose) and add romano cheese.

4. Dip eggplant slices (cover both sides) in egg mixture and then in breadcrumbs patting down with your hand to help crumbs adhere to the eggplant. Do this on both sides.

5. Using a large frying pan, brown eggplant slices on both sides in canola oil. Make sure your oil is very hot because eggplant sucks up oil like a sponge. Drain slices on a paper towel (don't forget to eat a piece when it's cooled, it's just as yummy plain!).

6. In a medium sized deep baking pan (I used my medium rectangular pyrex)ladle some marinara sauce to lightly cover the bottom. Add slices of eggplant slightly overlapping (if they are sliced thin you can do this). Add another layer of sauce, sprinkle of romano cheese and mozzarella. Don't put the mozzarella on too thick. Add another layer of eggplant and continue to layer the same way until all of your eggplant is used. The last layer should be mozzarella.

7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Let eggplant settle for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Fried Sicilian Eggplant and Pasta

This recipe was taught to me by a friend's mother years ago. It took me quite some time to get it just right and I have to say it finally tastes just right! Before I get into the recipe let me first apologize to all my ecofriendly friends over at bakespace.com. I really use a TON of paper towels while preparing the eggplant. If anyone can come up with a better way to do it I'd be glad to hear it!

Ingredients:

1 Sicilian Eggplant
Parmigiano or Romano cheese, grated
fresh basil leaves
Prepared Marinara Sauce (I used two 16oz cans. Also, you don't want to use a sauce with any meat in it since the eggplant is the star of this dish.)
1 pound pasta (rigatoni, penne or ziti)

So if you are unsure of what a Sicilian Eggplant looks like I can't help you because I forgot to take a picture!!! :-0 I found some pics on the web but I'm afraid to link them since they come from other blogs. I'm still new to blogging so I'm not sure what the proper etiquette would be and I'm to impatient to wait for email replies. Sorry! Anyway, It's a round purple eggplant and I believe it has less seeds than a regular eggplant. I wish I took pictures of the steps but I was in a huge rush (as this takes a long time) and I forgot about taking pictures until I started frying them.

Directions:

So you start by cutting the ends off both sides of the eggplant like you would a tomato or an onion. We don't peel this because the skin keeps the eggplant from falling apart. I think it looks pretty too. (If you don't like to eat it, no worries, it easily peels right off like the skin on a piece of soppresata when you bite into a slice.) Then you slice it in half lengthwise, place it cut side down (again, like an onion) and continue to cut slices so they look like half moons. I'm estimating, but I'd say slice them about 1/4 of an inch or 1/3 of an inch thick. They will shrink from the salt and the frying so not too thin and if they are too thick they will be hard in the middle. Yuck! So,put eggplant slices in a colander and sprinkle with lots of salt. Make sure each slice has salt on it. Cover it with a plate that fits inside and weigh it down with something heavy. Place a bowl underneath if you are going to put it on the counter because a lot of liquid will come out. Leave it there for 2 hours. Yes, 2 hours....not really an after work dinner...but I did it anyway and we at at 9pm! The purpose of salting the eggplant is to remove the bitterness and I believe the salted eggplant absorbs less oil when it's fried.



This photo was taken when I made Pasta Norma a few months ago. It's the same preparation method but the eggplant is diced so that's what you see peaking out from the plate.



Next step is to thorougly wash the eggplant under cold running water. Make sure you rinse each slice and rub it with you fingers to make sure there isn't any trace of salt left. That was mistake number one when I first tried to make this about 7 years ago. Here is where the paper towels come in. Lay out two layers of paper towels. You'll need a lot of them because you are going to dry them on the towels in a single layer and then top it with another two layers of paper towels. I like to do this early in the day in between doing other things so I know they are very dry. Press down on the eggplant slices with paper towel to absorb the water. This is the 2nd mistake I made that first attempt. They weren't dry enought and absorbed so much water that they were a greasy, salty mess. You live and learn though, right?

Once you are sure your eggplant is dry (it will still feel damp but you'll be able to tell) fry them in a large skillet with canola oil. Make sure the oil is hot or your eggplant will be too greasy. Depending on the size of your eggplant you may have to add more oil to the pan a couple of times. Let the eggplant brown until it's a beautiful brown color...not burnt but definitely with some color. Set the fried eggplant on a (again) paper towel lined plate and continue to layer paper towels between each single layer of eggplant slices.




When you have finished frying the eggplant add a layer of sauce to a plate or platter and sprinkle with grated romano or parmigiano cheese. Top with a single layer or eggplant, arraning the eggplant so they aren't overlapping and almost look like a flower, working your way from the outside of the plate in. You really can arrange it however you want but it always looks so pretty this way. You won't be able to see the pretty arrangement on mine because I made a double batch and fried two eggplants so I had to use a pyrex. On top of the eggplant add sauce, cheese and fresh basil leaves. Continue to layer in this manner until you have used up all your slices.

Serve this room temperature or cold, over pasta or on the side.

Fried Sicilian Eggplant and Pasta

This recipe was taught to me by a friend's mother years ago. It took me quite some time to get it just right and I have to say it finally tastes just right! Before I get into the recipe let me first apologize to all my ecofriendly friends over at bakespace.com. I really use a TON of paper towels while preparing the eggplant. If anyone can come up with a better way to do it I'd be glad to hear it!

Ingredients:

1 Sicilian Eggplant
Parmigiano or Romano cheese, grated
fresh basil leaves
Prepared Marinara Sauce (I used two 16oz cans. Also, you don't want to use a sauce with any meat in it since the eggplant is the star of this dish.)
1 pound pasta (rigatoni, penne or ziti)

So if you are unsure of what a Sicilian Eggplant looks like I can't help you because I forgot to take a picture!!! :-0 I found some pics on the web but I'm afraid to link them since they come from other blogs. I'm still new to blogging so I'm not sure what the proper etiquette would be and I'm to impatient to wait for email replies. Sorry! Anyway, It's a round purple eggplant and I believe it has less seeds than a regular eggplant. I wish I took pictures of the steps but I was in a huge rush (as this takes a long time) and I forgot about taking pictures until I started frying them.

Directions:

So you start by cutting the ends off both sides of the eggplant like you would a tomato or an onion. We don't peel this because the skin keeps the eggplant from falling apart. I think it looks pretty too. (If you don't like to eat it, no worries, it easily peels right off like the skin on a piece of soppresata when you bite into a slice.) Then you slice it in half lengthwise, place it cut side down (again, like an onion) and continue to cut slices so they look like half moons. I'm estimating, but I'd say slice them about 1/4 of an inch or 1/3 of an inch thick. They will shrink from the salt and the frying so not too thin and if they are too thick they will be hard in the middle. Yuck! So,put eggplant slices in a colander and sprinkle with lots of salt. Make sure each slice has salt on it. Cover it with a plate that fits inside and weigh it down with something heavy. Place a bowl underneath if you are going to put it on the counter because a lot of liquid will come out. Leave it there for 2 hours. Yes, 2 hours....not really an after work dinner...but I did it anyway and we at at 9pm! The purpose of salting the eggplant is to remove the bitterness and I believe the salted eggplant absorbs less oil when it's fried.



This photo was taken when I made Pasta Norma a few months ago. It's the same preparation method but the eggplant is diced so that's what you see peaking out from the plate.



Next step is to thorougly wash the eggplant under cold running water. Make sure you rinse each slice and rub it with you fingers to make sure there isn't any trace of salt left. That was mistake number one when I first tried to make this about 7 years ago. Here is where the paper towels come in. Lay out two layers of paper towels. You'll need a lot of them because you are going to dry them on the towels in a single layer and then top it with another two layers of paper towels. I like to do this early in the day in between doing other things so I know they are very dry. Press down on the eggplant slices with paper towel to absorb the water. This is the 2nd mistake I made that first attempt. They weren't dry enought and absorbed so much water that they were a greasy, salty mess. You live and learn though, right?

Once you are sure your eggplant is dry (it will still feel damp but you'll be able to tell) fry them in a large skillet with canola oil. Make sure the oil is hot or your eggplant will be too greasy. Depending on the size of your eggplant you may have to add more oil to the pan a couple of times. Let the eggplant brown until it's a beautiful brown color...not burnt but definitely with some color. Set the fried eggplant on a (again) paper towel lined plate and continue to layer paper towels between each single layer of eggplant slices.




When you have finished frying the eggplant add a layer of sauce to a plate or platter and sprinkle with grated romano or parmigiano cheese. Top with a single layer or eggplant, arraning the eggplant so they aren't overlapping and almost look like a flower, working your way from the outside of the plate in. You really can arrange it however you want but it always looks so pretty this way. You won't be able to see the pretty arrangement on mine because I made a double batch and fried two eggplants so I had to use a pyrex. On top of the eggplant add sauce, cheese and fresh basil leaves. Continue to layer in this manner until you have used up all your slices.

Serve this room temperature or cold, over pasta or on the side.

Caponata

Back when I lived in Brooklyn there was a restaurant we would frequently go to called Joe's of Avenue U. It's very casual Sicilian fare that was inexpensive and delicious. This is where I tried Caponata (sometimes called Caponatina) for the first time and fell in love with it. The best way for me to explain what Caponata is, is by calling it an eggplant stew. It is prepared in the same manner that one would use to make beef stew. The veggies are sauteed in oil and liquid is added to simmer them in. However, this does not take hours to make like a meat stew would, so that makes it even better for me.

The recipe I used belongs to Steve's grandmother Rose. I have never met her but I'm sure she would be happy to know that someone is making her caponata. There are many variations of this dish, some include zucchini or peppers but this one is very simple. I think the next time I make it I will add pine nuts (pignoli) and raisins. I am almost positive that those two ingredients were in the first caponata I have ever had at Joe's. Since then there have been new owners and they do not use the nuts or raisins and it's still good but I love the sweetness that the raisins give the dish. A lot of Sicilian recipes use sweet and sour ingredients together.


Grandma Rose's Caponata

2 lb unpeeled eggplant, cut into 1” cubes
½ cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
3 ½ oz. tomato paste
1 cup water
1 lb green olives, salted and pitted
2 oz jar of capers, unsalted and drained
salt and pepper to taste
1 heaping tsp. sugar
¼ cup wine vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and celery, cook until almost tender. Remove ions and celery and place in a bowl. In same skillet, sauté eggplant until light brown. Remove. In same pan, over med flame, cook tomato paste and water, stir until dissolved. Add olives, eggplant, capers, onion, celery, salt and pepper. Mix well. Bring to a boil over high flame. Lower flame and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sugar and vinegar. Stir and cook for ½ minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Makes 2 quarts. Sterilize jars before using. Cover tightly.
Keeps in refrigerator for 6 weeks.


There are only a few very minor changes that I made to this recipe.

~ I used canola oil instead of olive oil because the eggplant absorbs the olive oil too quickly. Then have to keep adding oil and you end up with oily eggplant. Just use whatever oil you would normally use for frying.

~ I added a little more sugar and vinegar than the recipe called for. I'm sure Steve's grandmother, like Nanny, didn't use standard measuring cups so the measurements that we have are just a guess. Nanny's measuring cup was a mug. So it's very difficult to get exact measurements but all you need to do is taste and adjust. Not a problem.

~ I also cooked the eggplant at the end for a little longer because either I cut the eggplant too big or the time given was just an estimation. Again, just taste it and you can tell if the eggplant is cooked all the way through.

This dish is best served cold or room temperature with a couple of pieces of good Italian bread for dipping.

Enjoy!

Caponata

Back when I lived in Brooklyn there was a restaurant we would frequently go to called Joe's of Avenue U. It's very casual Sicilian fare that was inexpensive and delicious. This is where I tried Caponata (sometimes called Caponatina) for the first time and fell in love with it. The best way for me to explain what Caponata is, is by calling it an eggplant stew. It is prepared in the same manner that one would use to make beef stew. The veggies are sauteed in oil and liquid is added to simmer them in. However, this does not take hours to make like a meat stew would, so that makes it even better for me.

The recipe I used belongs to Steve's grandmother Rose. I have never met her but I'm sure she would be happy to know that someone is making her caponata. There are many variations of this dish, some include zucchini or peppers but this one is very simple. I think the next time I make it I will add pine nuts (pignoli) and raisins. I am almost positive that those two ingredients were in the first caponata I have ever had at Joe's. Since then there have been new owners and they do not use the nuts or raisins and it's still good but I love the sweetness that the raisins give the dish. A lot of Sicilian recipes use sweet and sour ingredients together.


Grandma Rose's Caponata

2 lb unpeeled eggplant, cut into 1” cubes
½ cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
3 ½ oz. tomato paste
1 cup water
1 lb green olives, salted and pitted
2 oz jar of capers, unsalted and drained
salt and pepper to taste
1 heaping tsp. sugar
¼ cup wine vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and celery, cook until almost tender. Remove ions and celery and place in a bowl. In same skillet, sauté eggplant until light brown. Remove. In same pan, over med flame, cook tomato paste and water, stir until dissolved. Add olives, eggplant, capers, onion, celery, salt and pepper. Mix well. Bring to a boil over high flame. Lower flame and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sugar and vinegar. Stir and cook for ½ minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Makes 2 quarts. Sterilize jars before using. Cover tightly.
Keeps in refrigerator for 6 weeks.


There are only a few very minor changes that I made to this recipe.

~ I used canola oil instead of olive oil because the eggplant absorbs the olive oil too quickly. Then have to keep adding oil and you end up with oily eggplant. Just use whatever oil you would normally use for frying.

~ I added a little more sugar and vinegar than the recipe called for. I'm sure Steve's grandmother, like Nanny, didn't use standard measuring cups so the measurements that we have are just a guess. Nanny's measuring cup was a mug. So it's very difficult to get exact measurements but all you need to do is taste and adjust. Not a problem.

~ I also cooked the eggplant at the end for a little longer because either I cut the eggplant too big or the time given was just an estimation. Again, just taste it and you can tell if the eggplant is cooked all the way through.

This dish is best served cold or room temperature with a couple of pieces of good Italian bread for dipping.

Enjoy!