What are the chances that I will get FIVE pounds of eggplant and a day later get Milk Street Magazine with a recipe that FORKING calls for 5 pounds of eggplant?
YES! that really happened!
The Milk Street Magazine recipe is for No-Fry Neapolitan Eggplant Parmesan. Incase you didn’t know…..There is a difference between American/Italian and Italian Eggplant Parmesan.
Eggplant Parmesan from an American-Italian Restaurant usually looks something like this (from Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ)
It breaded and it covered with cheese. It also comes with spaghetti.
When you get eggplant parmesan from an Italian Restaurant (Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante Glendale AZ) It looks like this below.
Here it’s a slice of very meaty eggplant covered with a plain tomato sauce and some cheese and a big basil leaf.
Instead of 5 one pound eggplants….I had three one pound eggplants and two pounds of small Indian eggplants that were sweet and white fleshed inside….so…I made a few changes to Milk Streets Recipe but I did make their tomato sauce. According to Milk Street this makes 6-8 servings. I did add tomatoes and extra cheese so I did change up their recipe a little bit.
Ingredients for around 8 servings
5 pounds of eggplant
5 medium sized tomatoes – sliced
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt – to taste
ground black pepper – to taste
1 onion – fine chopped
28 oz can crushed Italian style tomatoes
3 Tablespoons butter
8 oz provolone (either slices or shredded plain or smoked cheese)
8 oz mozzarella (either slices or shredded)
4 oz parmesan – grated
1 cup fresh basil – torn or chopped
non stick spray
Directions
On med-low heat you cook an onion with a tablespoon of oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt till the onion is translucent. Then you stir in a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and three tablespoons of butter, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/2 cup of water.Bring to simmer and cook till slightly thickened. Only 15-20 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F
Your eggplants get about have the skin removed like this.
Then you slice them in planks…..I did something like 5 planks or you can slice them across…It doesn’t really matter.
I also roasted up tomatoes at the same time.
The eggplant planks and tomatoes got drizzled with some olive oil and a light sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper.
They went into a preheated 425 f oven for around 40 minutes.
I’m sort of following along…You give you pan a splash of tomato sauce.
Them you put down an eggplant layer.
Then I topped the eggplant with slices of provolone, some grated mozzarella, grated parmesan and some fresh basil. (about one third of the cheeses) Then sauce.
Someone is very interested.
Then I mixed the sliced small Indian eggplants with the roasted tomatoes, some basil and about one third of the cheeses.
Then more eggplant planks went over this. The rest of the cheeses, basil and some sauce.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
I used nonstick and sprayed aluminum foil so it would stick to the cheese and covered tight. This went into a preheated 375 F oven for around an hour. After it cools a little you can serve it but I like it better to set up over-night. Then I reheat two servings and it comes out much neater.
ENJOY!!!!
A Special THANKS!!!! To Milk Street Magazine so I’d know WTFork! to do with 5 pounds of eggplant.
