Author Topic: Eggplant Parm  (Read 2830 times)

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RickZ

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Eggplant Parm
« on: June 10, 2013, 03:09:34 PM »
I love eggplant*.  I really love eggplant parm.  I don't order it out much as most places do not peel the eggplant, and I simply cannot digest eggplant skins (or apple skins, etc.).

I made a pan of it this weekend.

Now I do not go through the hassle of salting sliced eggplant; too much extra work.  What I do is peel and slice the eggplant.  I dust the slices in seasoned flour.  Then coat it with beaten eggs.  Then into another tray with seasoned panko bread crumbs, along with some of the seasoned flour (80-20 mix?)  The frying is a pain in the ass, quite messy, but so worth the result.

I made a simple sauce:  tomato paste and sauce, garlic, onion, sweet red pepper, black pepper, red chili flakes, bay leaf, worchestershire, packet of sugar (I don't use much sugar so I buy packets), celery seed and dried basil-thyme-oregano.  Cooked it for about four hours, until thick and darkened.

Stacked the eggplant slices in a pan, starting with sauce, eggplant, mozzarella and parmigginao, and continuing for a few layers.  Filling as all get out.  Had some garlic bread and an Argentinian Malbec.

Today is the second half.  (I just pulled off the foil and added more sauce and cheese.)  I also have some cooked eggplant slices for another day.

*  When I was a child, I was a very picky eater.  And by picky, I mean I only ate peanut butter and apple jelly sandwiches for the first 7 or so years of my life.  (My Mom was worried and took me to the Navy dispensary, and a doctor told her peanut butter has protein, so I was good to go.)  When I was around 8 or so, I spent a week with my Grandma.  Like I said, veggies weren't my thing.  But Grandma would peel and slice an eggplant, flour it and fry it.  I loved it!  When my Mom found out I ate Grandma's eggplant, she figured she's make it at home, just to get me to eat something besides peanut butter.  But being the picky eater I was, I told her, "It's not Grandma's!"  My Mom asked her Mom what she was doing wrong, and could never figure it out; neither could I.  Wood burning stove and heat?  I still don't know.

But there is nothing like eggplant parm.  I'll have eggplant parm over a steak any day of the week.  And twice on Sunday!

Offline AmericanPatriot

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2013, 06:56:56 PM »
Growing eggplant is my challenge.

I planted 4 plants and all have survived (so far)

Bugs eat the leaves right off and I have to dust often.

A moderately reasonable substitute is zucchini for the eggplant

Online Pandora

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2013, 07:12:50 PM »
Growing eggplant is my challenge.

I planted 4 plants and all have survived (so far)

Bugs eat the leaves right off and I have to dust often.

A moderately reasonable substitute is zucchini for the eggplant

Then dust, it's worth it.  And don't let 'em get too tall; you need to top 'em.
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Offline AmericanPatriot

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2013, 09:57:00 PM »
This is the first I heard of topping them, Pan

Online Pandora

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2013, 10:07:01 PM »
This is the first I heard of topping them, Pan

Ours got tall,  TALL, and they were fruiting until the end of November.  We ended up picking off blossoms so they'd finish off the fruit they'd started.  From two plants, we ended up harvesting 14 mostly fully grown eggplants at that time, not counting what came off all fall long.

The energy they put into producing foliage is better directed into fruit production.  The way to keep them intent on that is to limit the height and redirect into bushy.

Look here:



Every other one is an eggplant (that's three of 'em) and this was September (I think .... ).
« Last Edit: June 10, 2013, 10:15:58 PM by Pandora »
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Offline AmericanPatriot

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2013, 10:45:21 AM »
Right now mine are only 6" tall and have 3 leaves on the top.
Never had any last long enough to get tall.

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #6 on: June 11, 2013, 10:48:07 AM »
Right now mine are only 6" tall and have 3 leaves on the top.
Never had any last long enough to get tall.


Hope you have better luck this year.
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Offline AmericanPatriot

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2013, 11:24:26 AM »
So far so good.
They're still alive and growing

I think I need warmth.

It's been mostly cool and somewhat rainy.
Went from spring being dry as a popcorn fart to too wet to work in the garden.

Something like this several years ago when my tomatoes got late blight and I didn't get even one to eat

RickZ

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #8 on: June 11, 2013, 02:36:07 PM »
One thing about eggplant, once the fruit is ready for harvesting, you will have family, friends and neighbors hate you as you will be begging them to take some off you hands as the amount of eggplants will surprise you.  Either that or learn some good recipes you can freeze, and eggplant parm you can freeze.  It's one of the few dishes that actually comes out more than okay from a microwave.

AP, zucchini is not a substitute for eggplant with me.  I hate zucchini, although I will barely tolerate the yellow stuff.  But I've never heard of zucchini hummus.

Online Pandora

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #9 on: June 11, 2013, 03:13:53 PM »
We found no such resistance; people were more than happy to have them.
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Offline ChrstnHsbndFthr

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #10 on: June 12, 2013, 05:07:04 AM »
We found no such resistance; people were more than happy to have them.

Please. may I have some more? 

This was good stuff. One of the few vegetarian dinners i really like.
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RickZ

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2013, 06:13:35 AM »
This was good stuff. One of the few vegetarian dinners i really like.

One time, lots of bodies were coming over for dinner.  I made two varieties of eggplant parm, a veggie one and a meat one.  For the veggie one, I added sliced mushrooms, sliced black olives and walnuts.  For the meat one, I added slices of Genoa salami and slicing pepperoni in each layer (the meat basically melted away).  Both versions were good.  I still like calamata olives in my eggplant parm, as I like calamata olives, creminis and diced eggplant with pasta.

Like I say, try to make some babaghanouj.  It's really simple, with the only requirement being to buy tahini paste (and having a food processor); great summer food.  Poke whole eggplant with a fork, bake until soft (about an hour), then let cool for 15 or so minutes, cut in half and scoop out the meat into a food processor; the tahini is also used to make hummus, which is pureed chickpeas.  I've had at a Greek restaurant stuffed eggplant with meat and cheese (maybe feta or something like it).  Also delicious.  I've also used diced eggplant in a stir-fry with pork.  What doesn't go with pork?

If you want to get fancy, you can make eggplant rollatini.  Slice the eggplant lengthwise and coat/fry.  Once cool, put a healthy amount of stuffing (ricotta/parmiggiano/mozzarella mix) on each slice.  Roll up and bake in a tray with sauce underneath and on top.  In this case, do not use fresh mozzarella as the water makes the mix a little too runny and the stuffing leaks out.

Oh, and leftover eggplant parm makes a great hero sandwich.  Just ask Pan.

Offline LadyVirginia

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #12 on: June 28, 2013, 10:31:26 PM »
We have a dairy allergy in our house so I don't make many dishes that require cheese but I do make a sort-of eggplant parm without the cheese.  ;D  I don't peel my eggplant and I slice it really thin, I dip it in seasoned flour and fry. I can fry up several slices in my big cast iron. So as each pan is done I take them out and layer them with sauce and seasoned bread crumbs individually on each plate.  My youngest loves it. Sometimes I'll add other roasted vegs into the layers but that's not as popular. Anyone who likes cheese can add it but they often don't.  I think it's the sauce. ;)

I remember as a kid my mom making eggplant and I would not eat it.

There a store near me that puts its produce on the clearance shelves in the back of the store. I've been picking up eggplant which is over $2/lb here for about $1 for two for several weeks now.   I also make a pasta dish similar to what I had once at Cheesecake Factory called Evelyn's favorite pasta (roasted vegetables & olives). I also make a lasagna in the slow cooker which includes cubes of roasted eggplant.

I'm a big fan of eggplant. Ten years ago when I did have a garden I tried growing it and they never got beyond a foot or two. 
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Offline Alphabet Soup

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Re: Eggplant Parm
« Reply #13 on: June 28, 2013, 11:15:03 PM »
I've never tried eggplant (I was never as adventurous as my mom) but I do grow Zucchini and have made baked Zucchini that sounds similar to this. I should give the eggplant a try.