Saturday, December 27, 2008

Eggplant Lasagna

Sounds slightly complicated. Yes? No, not really.

Backstory: Basically. I got bored one cold December lunchtime and frozen food wouldn't really do it for me. So out came an eggplant lasagna. (Also there was an eggplant sitting around that needed to be eaten...)

Ingredients
1 Large Eggplant, around 1.5 lbs
3 eggs, beaten
2-3 cups Panko* bread crumbs (more if needed)
-0.5 tsp salt -0.5 tsp black pepper (flavor)
Olive Oil
1/2 A white onion
1 clove garlic
1 can Tomato Paste
1/2 cup Water
2 tsp dried basil (chopped not the leaves)
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbs Red wine
16 oz Mozzarella cheese, sliced (and get the good stuff, not the blocks)
1.5 cups Parmesan Cheese, grated

Directions:
Wash eggplant throughly and cut into quarter inch think rounds. Dip eggplant slices into beaten eggs then dredge with breadcrumb mix. Heat about a fourth cup of olive oil into a heavy skillet. Fry eggplant on both sides until golden brown and also crispy. When finished put fried slices onto a plate with paper towels to drain. In a saucepan, fry up garlic and onions, when brown add tomato paste and water. When sauce is warm add the basil and oregano (or any other spices of your choice) and red wine. Let simmer. While the sauce is simmering layer the eggplant pieces into a baking dish. Layer half of eggplant, then add sauce, top with half of the mozzarella slices and grated paremesan. Continue in ordered layers until dish is full. Bake at 350 for approximately 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. If possible for the last 5-7 minutes, broil the dish so the cheese has a chance to brown and crust.
Serve hot and eat!

Sehr gut!


*Panko is Japanese style bread crumbs for those who don't know. They can be easily picked up at an Asian grocery or specialty store. Some upscale grocers might carry them as well in an "Asian section". REGULAR BREADCRUMBS MAY ALSO BE SUBSTITUTED.

No comments:

Post a Comment