Tag: Basil
Alaskan eggplant parmesan, deconstructed summer-style
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I invented this recipe for the wonderful fresh eggplants from the Valley. The slices stay crunchy, and you can really taste the eggplant because you don’t drench everything in sauce and mozzarella. It’s a variation of a proper eggplant parmesan in Cooks’ Illustrated (January 2004), but it’s a much lighter dish, and to my taste, more delicious. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes to make the fast fresh tomato sauté, make the easy marinara sauce—see the following recipes. You can also use these breaded and baked eggplant slices to make a fantastic eggplant parmesan pizza…
It’s much more fun doing this recipe with another person—there’s quite a bit of dredging and drenching to do. You won’t be surprised to learn that I always make a double batch of this because it’s so yummy, and the slices freeze well! Serve this with a side salad, like the green salad with garlicky red wine mustard vinaigrette.
Note: If you’re not using really fresh, local eggplant, it might be bitter unless you salt and drain it first. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of salt, then drain for 30 minutes in a colander. Rinse under water, and dry on kitchen towels to remove as much liquid as possible.
2 pounds eggplant (2 medium eggplants), cut crosswise into ½” thick rounds
6-8 slices of bread (you know my preference: whole wheat sourdough)
½ to 1 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup flour
3 eggs
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper
spray vegetable oil (or regular vegetable oil)
fast fresh tomato sauté OR marinara sauce (recipes follow)
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grind bread slices in food processor to make fine, even crumbs. Transfer crumbs to a pie plate and if your parmesan isn’t grated very fine, grind it up with a few pulses, too. Add cheese, ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper to the crumbs and mix together.
1. Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in large ziplock bag; shake to combine. Beat eggs in second pie plate. Place 8 to 10 eggplant slices in bag with flour; seal bag and shake to coat eggplant. Remove eggplant slices, shaking off excess flour, dip in eggs, let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; set breaded slices on wire racks on your counter. Repeat with remaining eggplant.
2. Put 2 heavy, rimmed baking sheets (preferably non-stick) in the oven and let them preheat for 10 minutes or so. Remove them one at a time from the oven, spray or brush thoroughly with vegetable oil, and load the eggplant on the sheets in a single layer. Bake until eggplant is well-browned and crisp, about 30 minutes, rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes, and flipping slices after 20 minutes.
3. While the eggplant bakes, make the fast fresh tomato sauté or the marinara sauce. (You can make the marinara the day before, if you like. Just reheat before serving.)
4. Serve each person several slices of eggplant, overlapping slightly, on plates with little bowls of the tomato sauté. This is especially nice alongside a green salad.
fast fresh tomato sauté
This recipe is based on one from Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen.
3 cups of sliced, quartered, or diced tomatoes
1 shallot or ½ a small white onion, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
small handful basil leaves, slivered, or 1 teaspoon thyme, minced (whatever fresh herbs you have hanging around, or growing in a pot on your deck—oregano, maybe?)
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
1. Toss the tomatoes with the onion or shallot, garlic, herbs, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. You can let the mixture marinate for up to 2 hours or use it right away.
2. Just before you’re ready to eat, heat a skillet and when hot, add the tomatoes. Swirl the pan around to warm them through, add a few drops of balsamic vinegar and some pepper. They should just warm up and release their juices, not fall apart.
marinara sauce
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
two 28 ounce cans whole tomatoes, or diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons dried oregano
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Coarsely chop the tomatoes if using whole ones.
2. Saute the garlic in the olive oil until fragrant (30 seconds or so). Add the tomatoes and cook the sauce until nicely thickened, about 30 minutes.
3. Crush the oregano between your palms as you sprinkle it into the pot. Stir to combine, and add salt and pepper to taste. If you want a smoother sauce, put some of the sauce into your blender, or use a hand-held immersion blender to puree some of the chunks out of the sauce.
sauteed tomatoes on garlic-rubbed toast
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This is a very fast, really delicious recipe, but I don’t recommend making it unless you can get fresh local tomatoes. It’s based on a recipe in Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen. These toasts make a great meal with any green salad alongside (try the green salad with garlicky red wine mustard vinaigrette), or with soup (for example, lentil soup). These toasts are also great with the broccoli salad with roasted peppers, capers, and olives. You can also forget the toast, and serve the tomatoes over pasta, with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
3 cups of sliced, quartered, or diced tomatoes
1 shallot or ½ a small white onion, minced
2 large garlic cloves, one minced
small handful basil leaves, slivered, or 1 teaspoon thyme, minced (whatever fresh herbs you have hanging around, or growing in a pot on your deck—oregano, maybe?)
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 thick slices hearty bread (I like to use 100% whole wheat sourdough)
a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
cheese (optional)
1. Toss the tomatoes with the onion or shallot, minced garlic, herbs, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. You can let it marinate for up to 2 hours or use it right away. Set aside until you’re ready to eat.
2. Heat a skillet and when hot, add the tomatoes. Swirl the pan around to warm them through, add a few drops of balsamic vinegar and some pepper. They should just warm up and release their juices, not fall apart.
3. Toast the bread well. Rub it with the whole clove of garlic.
4. Spoon tomatoes onto toast and serve.
5. You can put cheese (try some from the Farmers’ Market!) on the hot toast before adding the tomatoes, if you like.
Thai-flavored eggplant with scallions
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Last week, Arthur (the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market manager), was clearing out his greenhouse of eggplants, so he gave me a bunch! What a treat! I made a bunch of baba ghanouj (eggplant dip) to freeze and share with him, but I still had some eggplants left. I thought I’d try a Thai theme, just for fun! This recipe is based on one from Cook’s Illustrated, and the article had a couple of other vegetable recipes to make, using this same sauce base. So for dinner I made this eggplant dish, and then another dish using the same sauce base: broccoli and red peppers with Thai peanut sauce. It was a fantastic vegetable bonanza, served with rice!
It’s important to use an oil with a high smoke point, like peanut oil or grapeseed oil, so it doesn’t burn and smoke while you stir-fry the eggplant. Don’t use olive oil, for sure!
When I made this, I couldn’t find any basil at the Wednesday farmers’ market at the Dimond Center, so I just left it out, and it was great. But I’m sure it would really fantastic with the addition of the basil!
Thai Sauce Base
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice plus 1 teaspoon grated zest from 1 lime
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
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Eggplant
1 tablespoon peanut oil or grapeseed oil, plus 1 more teaspoon
2 pounds eggplant (2 large globes, or 4 long skinny Japanese), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
6 medium cloves garlic, minced
1- inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 scallions, white and green parts, sliced thin
½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn into rough 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
1. For Thai Sauce Base: Mix fish sauce, lime juice and zest, sugar, and red pepper in small bowl until sugar is dissolved; set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggplant and cook, stirring or tossing the skillet every 10 to 15 seconds, until browned and tender, 5-10 minutes, depending on the type of eggplant.
3. Push eggplant to sides of skillet, clearing center of pan. Add remaining teaspoon oil, garlic, and ginger to center of pan and mash with back of spoon; cook until fragrant, 30 to 45 seconds, then stir mixture into eggplant. Add half of the Thai Sauce Base and stir until combined. Taste and see if you want to add more—it’s pretty potent and salty stuff, so I didn’t use quite all of mine. Add the sauce to your taste.
4. Off heat, stir in scallions and optional basil; serve immediately with rice.
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The recipes in Alison Arians' South Anchorage Farmer's Market Cookbook are easy to make, delicious, and healthy. I love her enthusiasm and simple suggestions that make cooking easier. I've bought four to share with friends and family outside, and it's not even Christmas yet! But the best part about the cookbook is that there's always an answer for the beautiful produce available at the Farmer's Market. Having a bound copy keeps my kitchen tidy.
