Amazing Easy Parmigiana

One of my favorite comfort foods is eggplant parmigiana. The combination of warm gooey cheese and tomato sauce is like a warm hug, and when it's done right...the eggplant is like delicious slices of happiness.

Well, below is my recipe for eggplant parmigiana. I promise you it's so good that you will want to cook it pronto! It's so good that it was the romantic meal for Valentine's Day...

Amazing Easy Eggplant Parmigiana

First, you must prep your eggplant. Cut off the ends of the eggplant and slice into one inch slices (you can make them them thicker or thinner depending on your tastes). Place slices in a big bowl or dish in a single layer and sprinkle with salt let sit for about 20 minutes. This will take out some of the bitterness and sweat out some of the moisture. You can skip this step, but I wouldn't reccommend it.

Next, prepare to bread some eggplant. You'll need a bowl of flour, a small bowl with two eggs beaten, and a small bowl with breadcrumbs ( you can use panko, seasoned, gluten free, whatever you like).

Dip each slice in flour, making sure you cover it thoroughly. You can use whole wheat, a wheat flour substitute (if you are gluten sensitive) or just plain white.

After taking the slice out of the flour, dip in the egg. Make sure you have egg on both sides. If the beaten eggs seem thick you may need to thin out the egg with a little water.

Next, dip each slice in breadcrumbs of your choice. Make sure the slice is completely covered in crumbs.

Put a large skillet on medium heat with a few glugs of olive oil. Place each slice down, making sure you don't crowd them. Cook until lightly browned and carefully flip to the other side. You may have to do several batches.

Now it's time to build it up! You have some of that lovely red sauce made...right? No? Well, mix up a batch right quick...the eggplant will keep. Next, You need to preheat the oven to 400*F.
Take a big ole baking pan and put down a thin layer of sauce. Place a layer of eggplant evenly spaced down on your sauce.

Put down a thick layer of cheese. You can do a mix of whatever melty yummy cheese you choose. I used a combination of Mozarella, Fontina and Parmesan. You could always substitute in some low fat or fat free cheeses if you are watching your waistline. Fresh mozzarella is always the perfect thing for this.

Next, sprinkle a few fresh basil leaves on top of your cheese.

Alternate layers of eggplant, cheese, and fresh basil until you run out of eggplant or overflow your pan. After your last layer of eggplant, add another layer of cheese. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and pop into the oven until everything is brown and bubbly, about 45 minutes (Make sure you take the foil off halfway through to allow for browning).

This will serve four hungry folks... or two with lots of leftovers.
I find this is fantastic with crusty bread, pasta, and salad.

Enjoy!

PS - if you aren't too keen on eggplant try out sliced zucchini, veggie patties, or even chicken, if you like that sort of thing....

How to Make an Easy Red Sauce and Look Like You Know What You Are Doing

Ever since I first learned to cook, I always wanted to make a great tomato sauce. The canned or bottled stuff was expensive, or full of ingredients I couldn't pronounce. I wanted something delicious to pour over pasta, use on a homemade pizza, or even use to make some odd concoction. Over the years, I haven't created the perfect sauce, but it has certainly evolved and become perfect for me. I find the secret to making a great red sauce is experimentation - so the recipe below has some tips on how to change it to your tastes.
So, without further ado...

First things first, you need aromatics. Chop up 2 shallots, finely, for the aromatics for this red sauce (you could also use onion - a sweet yellow onion is a great option too). Garlic is always a must; even if you don't care for garlic, it still is necessary. Dice up 3 cloves (if you are really anti-garlic just add one). Toss your aromatics into a large pan with about 2-3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and cook until the onions are translucent and the air is perfumed with loveliness. Now, add a little sweetness to cut some of the acidity of the tomatoes. This time honey is involved; add about a tablespoon (A few other options are; a carrot diced extremely fine, sugar, agave nectar, wine )

Now it's tomato time! There are several options for tomatoes. You could use a variety of types of canned tomatoes, or you could use fresh. If I'm in a bit of a rush, I use crushed tomatoes (two 15 oz cans) because it has a nice consistancy. You could also use pureed or tomato sauce, but tomato sauce is a bit too smooth for my taste. Whole tomatoes canned are great, just make sure you chop them up well, before adding them to your pan. Fresh tomatoes are a tiny bit more tricky, you might want to precook them a little bit and toss them in a food processor, otherwise you could be stirring sauce for quite a while waiting for your tomatoes to break down.

Next, come your spices and seasonings. What you add is entirely up to your personal taste, preference and what's in your cupboard. Basil is a great choice. I always add it, whether fresh or dried. If you are using dried add about 2 teaspoons. If fresh, add one whole handful of fresh leaves. I also toss in about a teaspoon of fennel seeds, but if fennel doesn't work for you, don't add it. The key here is taste as you go. You could also add
oregano (dried or fresh) and/or thyme (dried or fresh). To umph up the flavors of onion and garlic I added a tablespoon each of garlic and onion powder.

To make this a meat/protein laded sauce: Add your choice of meat or meat substitute with the aromatics at the beginning and cook until mostly done.

To add extra veggies: Toss in a few bell peppers, mushrooms, or any other vegetable of your choice, chopped roughly, with your onions and garlic at the beginning and cook until tender.

Now, you know how to make a sauce that is perfect for your tastes, and changes it up in ways that are perfect for you!