By Expat Chef
Based on my “Squashed” entry, I’ve admitted to having to work hard to like a few veggies. Like eggplant, Solanum melongena, once referred to as Solanum insanum. As a member of the nightshade family along with potatoes and tomatoes, eggplant was once thought to make you crazy if you ate it. And for a time, I felt like I was crazy to try it, too. Yes, it has some of the same texture issues as summer squash. It also lacks a lot of flavor. And often, what flavor it does have is bitter.
But for some reason, the beautiful color perhaps, every year as it comes into season, I attempt to cook it in a way that I will like it. Usually, the poor veggies go bad before I work up the courage to make an attempt.
It’s a quest, really. I once had a dish called Eggplant Marrakech at a local restaurant. Half an eggplant hollowed out and filled with the pulp, spices and herbs, saffron rice, and topped with tomato sauce and feta. The chef will not give me the recipe. So year, after year, I search for my own creation that I can choke down.
This is my year, perhaps. On a hunch, I got the small, elongated Japanese variety. The Farmer’s Market had the traditional style, the lovely white ones, small round green and white striped ones, and the Japanese style. I made my one-dollar investment and selected two ripe, but not soft, beauties. They are beautiful, too. I love the color. The hunch also paid off. As it turns out, the smaller eggplants are less likely to be bitter. Peeling helps as well. No salting required. And fresh eggplant is also the wisest choice. For most markets, it is in season during August and September.
I then researched the best recipes I could find for Eggplant Parmigiano. Remembering that eggplant is like a sponge that will soak up a ton of olive oil, I avoided the fry method. It also saves on heating up the kitchen and cleanup. However, I took the more laborious approach to the cheese filling, using fresh herbs from my garden. I also got a bit creative and used other vegetables I had from that market trip, zucchini and tomatoes. The result? My new recipe for Vegetable Parmigiano. Very tasty, crisp and light, then cheesy and luscious.
My eggplant-hating spouse devoured it. My toddler loved it. I was so emboldened by the initial success I bought a ton the next week, white, Japanese and green ones. To my delight, a huge pan of this dish disappeared from a table of six adults and two kids just last Sunday. People asked for more to take home with them. Let me know if you try it. It is a work in progress:
For the breading station:
First pan -
1 egg, beaten
Second pan -
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp. Garlic powder
For the vegetables:
1 medium zucchini
2 small, or 1 medium eggplant
2 small tomatoes
(or, use all eggplant should you be inspired)
For the cheese filling:
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1/3 cup part skim mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tbs. Fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan grated for dusting the top
1-1/2 cup tomato sauce (your preference home made or store bought)
Heat oven to 400°. Slice eggplant and zucchini about 1/4-1/5 inch thick. Cut tops off tomatoes, and seed. Grease a baking sheet and set up the egg in one pan and bread crumbs in another.
Set tomatoes on baking sheet. Dip the other vegetable slices into the egg, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Coat well. Repeat with each slice until all are done. Use remaining breadcrumb mixture to press onto tomato tops.
Place slices spaced evenly on baking sheet with tomatoes. Bake 15 minutes at 400°. Turn slices over carefully. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven (leave oven on). Slide the zucchini and eggplant slices together to reduce the mess and make it easier to top with sauce and fillings. Put about 1/2 tablespoon of sauce on each sliced vegetable (not tomatoes). Place 2 tsp. Cheese filling onto each slice. Put cheese filling on top of tomatoes. Dust all with the grated Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes at 400°. Until tops are light golden brown.
TIP: Coat the tops heavily to get a nice crunchy layer on first baking. Move slices together before topping with sauce and cheese to reduce mess and make it easier to top with sauce and filling. Yes, I make it on a baking sheet with edges. I find the thinner pan heats up quickly to crisp the bottoms (instead of taking several minutes to heat up a casserole pan thickness).
Nutrition-wise, eggplant (plain) is about 25 calories per serving, offers 2 grams of fiber which is 10 percent of the recommended daily amount. It also offers 1 gram of protein, and 5 carbohydrates (3 sugars). It is said to be high in the following nutrients; Vitamin K, Thiamin, Vitamin B6 and Manganese. Of course, this has cheese and tomato and other stuff ...
You can find the Expatriate Chef in her kitchen, contemplating saffron and rice in the pantry, mustering her courage for another Insanum attempt.
