Experimental Eggplant

I was strolling through the grocery store the other day to pick up some cat food.  I walk out of the store with cat food, a new food magazine (I need another food magazine like I need another hole in the head), french bread and these beauties below!

Italian Eggplant

I've never been a fan of eggplant.  Not because I think it tastes bad but because it really has no taste at all.

I wasn't able to turn away from these though.  Their deep purple stripiness was just too much for me to resist.  I just knew that if I got anything out of them it would be a beautiful picture!

What was I to do with it?  Why create a quick and easy Eggplant Parmesan, silly!

We start with aromatics.  We need to get the family to realize that dinner is a fixin.

What better way to aromate the house than with onion, garlic and basil.

Can you smell it?

Then we need to add some diced tomatoes with their juice, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar and honey.

Are you getting this?  Don't panic, I'll write out the whole recipe below all nice and neat for you.

Right now, I'm just trying to entertain you and show off my pictures.

How am I doing?

Look what you just made, sauce!

Fry up some eggplant dipped in egg, panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese and parsley.  Line it all up in a dish and add mozzarella cheese to the top and broil.

This is what you should get when you pull it out after a minute.  Yummy gooey deeliciousness!  Times have changed my friend.  I totally and completely appreciate eggplant in all of it's stripy purple beauty!

Eggplant Parmesan
Yield: 6 servings

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Ingredients:

• 2 T olive oil, divided
• 1 stick of butter - I had a Paula Deen moment!  So sue me!
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 t. dried basil
• 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 t. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 t. honey
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 14/ cup grated Parmesan Regianno cheese
• 1 T. chopped fresh parsley, plus additional for granish
• 1 Italian eggplant (about 1 pound), peeled and sliced in to 1/2 inch thick rounds
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 24 oz. box of Farfalle pasta

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tsp. oil on medium-high. Add onion, garlic and basil and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add diced and sun-dried tomatoes and 1/2 cup tomato sauce, vinegar and honey; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread 1 cup tomato mixture on the bottom of an 8-cup baking dish. Set remaining mixture aside and keep warm. Meanwhile, make your pasta according to the box directions.
2. In a small bowl, beat egg whites; set aside. In a separate small bowl, combine panko, Parmesan and parsley. Dip eggplant slices, 1 at a time, into egg mixture, then panko mixture, turning and pressing to coat both sides.
3. Heat remaining oil in your skillet and add a few tablespoons of your naughty butter. Add eggplant slices (in batches) and cook, turning once or twice, until golden and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, 6 to 9 minutes; keep adding butter by the tablespoon fulls as needed.
4. Preheat broiler to high. Transfer eggplant to baking dish with tomato mixture, overlapping slices slightly to cover the bottom. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Broil until cheese is bubbly and melted, about 1 minute. Serve atop the Farfalle pasta with remaining tomato mixture and garnish with additional parsley.

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Servings: 1

Calories:  826 - looks like I should not have had a Paula Deen moment!

Total Fat:  29.7 g

Cholesterol:  49 mg.

Sodium:  639 mg.

Protein:  23.7 g.

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