Cooking on the weekdays is always a dilemma, especially after putting in a full day's work. While I'm always in the mood to whip up something from scratch, it's not always practical, and so I often improvise with what I have in the fridge. This week that ingredient happened to be eggplant.
Normally, I love trying new recipes, but really what's wrong with going with something classic and simple? I decided on a plain ol' eggplant parm, but with a more rustic spin that you see here. Instead of slicing the eggplant thin, as is the norm in most Italian-American restaurants, I cut it thicker, baked it in the oven and then proceeded to layer the rest of the dish. A generous dose of smoked mozzarella gave this dish a unique flair and helped create a pretty golden crust. Hope you get to try it out too, and put your own spin on it - substituting eggplant for zucchini, chicken, veal, portabella mushrooms - whatever you like!
Homemade Eggplant Parm
Ingredients (serves 2)
2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 cups of marinara sauce (homemade or store bought)
2 cups of smoked mozzarella cheese
1 handful of fresh basil
Garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper
Coarse salt (Kosher salt)
Olive oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the sliced eggplant on 2 medium sized cookie sheets lined with aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake for about 25 minutes, without flipping the eggplant. One of its sides will naturally brown up, which is OK.
Let cool for about 10 minutes.
Layer the eggplant in a deep, square earthenware dish. Start with the marinara sauce, then layer in the eggplant and cheese. Repeat layering in this fashion until you run out of eggplant. Top with the remainder of the cheese and the fresh basil.
Bake for another 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy with a glass of red wine.
I had quite the culinary dilemma today, as I got home late from work, had to do more work at home and eat somewhere in between too. Another issue was that I had absolutely nothing good in the house, and had no time to grab my favorite take-out. On the verge of being extremely grumpy (no doubt influenced by my hunger), I started to really rack my brain for what we had in the fridge and whether I really could create something out of nothing. "Tomatoes, blue cheese, garlic, parsley...Hmmm...," it was definitely enough to work with. I also remembered I had some store bought gnocchi in my pantry that could certainly go well with those ingredients.
I first started to chop my tomatoes, then some red onion I found in the fridge too. Next came the garlic and wha la, I was on my way to making a homemade tomato sauce. Getting another idea to further reduce this sauce with good quality red wine that we also had on hand, I created a rich, earthy reduction that tasted like it took hours to prepare (but actually only too about 10 minutes).
Finishing the dish off with crumbled blue cheese, fresh parsley and toasted pepitas, it was really an exceptional surprise. I was pretty proud of myself to create it on the fly like that, and after the long day I had, I guess I needed some unabashed self-encouragement. Here's the recipe:
Fooditka's Last Minute Emergency Gnocchi:
Ingredients (serves 2)
1 package of store bought gnocchi (frozen or dry)
2 1/2 medium roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 sweet red onion, diced
2 small garlic cloves, diced
Small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Handful of crumbled blue cheese
Generous handful of toasted pepitas
1/4 cup of red wine or two generous glugs
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook gnocchi according to the directions on the packaging.
Pre-heat a non-stick medium skillet and coat it with olive oil (about 1 1/2 tbs or eyeball it). Let the oil get really hot and then drop in your onions and garlic. Let cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes and keep stirring it so it doesn't burn.
Lower the heat and add the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Keep stirring occasionally. Lower the heat and add your wine, letting it reduce for a few minutes (about 5 minutes).
Combine the cooked gnocchi with a little pasta water, if needed to thin it out. Garnish with fresh parsley, cheese and pepitas, and freshly ground black pepper.
As a result of my amazing trip to Tuscany last week, I was inspired to use the cooking knowledge I gained from Pat and translate it to my everyday cooking routine. This proved pretty fortuitous thus far, as the cooking we practiced in Tuscany was simple and used fresh ingredients, which consisted mostly of produce. I added in some starch too, for a more filling result, and a dish that was once a salad in Pat's kitchen, turned into a gnocchi variation in mine.
I loved the use of the licoricey fennel in this dish, coupled with sweet, juicy oranges that were cut into bite-sized chunks. Tweaks were made of course, as I dulled out the sharpness of the fennel by sauteeing it for a few minutes together with garlic, instead of serving it raw, like in the salad. For some creamy tang, I also added a few crumbles of good quality goat cheese and for the greens, I used fresh basil instead of parsley.
Here's my refurbished recipe:
Fennel Orange Gnocchi a la Foodista by way of Tasty Tuscany
Ingredients (serves 2)
1 package of whole wheat gnocchi (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1 whole fennel bulb, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 clove of garlic, pressed or minced
1 fresh orange, cut into bite-sized cubes
A small handful of basil, rolled and then cut into thin pieces
A shake of red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Glug of good marsala wine
Salt to taste
Directions:
Cook gnocchi according to directions.
Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat. You can mix in a little bit of butter too if you have it, but use unsalted butter. Add the garlic and make sure to stir frequently to make sure it doesn't burn. Add the fennel and mix frequently until it gets a nice golden color (the fennel shouldn't get too soft though). Incorporate the salt and red pepper flakes and keep mixing for another minute or two. Then add the marsala wine and turn down the heat so the sauce thickens a bit.
Stir in the gnocchi and a little bit of gnocchi water too, to thin out the sauce, if needed. Mix in the orange cubes and basil. Stir well and spoon into bowls. Crumble the goat cheese on top at the end so it melts in nicely with the still hot gnocchi. If you don't love goat cheese, you can substitute, pecorino, mozzarella - or any other cheese of your choice. Buon appetito.
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