Eggplant Parmigiana, an Italian restaurant favorite that is easily made at home. In fact, you can probably feed six people at home for what one serving would cost at a good restaurant. It can be made ahead - even up to a day before - which makes for easy entertaining. Add my Caesar Salad, some pasta and you have a great meal. Buon appetito!
Ingredients: 3 medium eggplants, 1 1/2 cup flour, 1 tbs salt, 1/4 tps pepper, 3 eggs, well beaten, 1/2 cup finely grated parmigiana cheese, 1 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs, 3 tbs olive oil, 1 lb. fresh mozzarella, marinara sauce (see sauce video).
Sliced Eggplant
Dip in well beaten egg
Coat in Italian breadcrumbs and finely grated parmisano cheese
Fry breaded eggplant
Layer eggplant slices with cheese and marinara sauce
Long a popular appetizer in Italian restaurants, this is a great way to use up some of that bumper crop of zucchini taking over your vegetable garden. It’s not only a tasty appetizer, but a delicious side dish kids will love! In addition, it is significantly lower in calories than the fried version.
Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini cut into sticks
2 egg whites
¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmegiano cheese
Preheat the oven to 425º convection or 450º conventional.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray.
Place the egg whites in a rimmed dish and whisk until well blended
Combine the flour, salt, pepper and cayenne in a plastic bag and shake to combine.
Combine the breadcrumbs and Parmegiano on a sheet of waxed paper.
Place half the zucchini sticks in the bag and shake to coat. Remove and shake off excess flour.
Dip sticks in egg whites and then roll in the breadcrumb mixture to coat.
Place on the baking sheet, spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray and bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Serve with marinara sauce.
NOTES: Panko breadcrumbs are large, crunchy breadcrumbs available in most grocery stores. If you can’t find them, use plain breadcrumbs. A recipe for marinara sauce can be found here on my website and is also on You Tube.
A long-time favorite in Italian restaurants, Chicken Parmigiana is a snap to make at home - especially if you have my Home Made Marinara Sauce on hand.
You can bread and fry the cutlets and freeze them or you can complete the entire dish and freeze that ready to pull out for a delicious dinner any time. Add my Caesar Salad and Coffee Liqueur Coupe and you are ready for a dinner party! Ingredients:
6 (or more) thin chicken cutlets* 1½ cups Italian flavored breadcrumbs mixed with ½ cup finely grated Parmigiana cheese 1 cup flour 2 eggs well beaten Oil for frying 1½ cups Home Made Marinara Sauce** ¼ cup finely grated Parmigiana cheese 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Set up a breading station with the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumb mixture. Dip cutlets first in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook the cutlets for two or three minutes on each side until lightly browned. Prepare a baking dish with a light coating of Marinara Sauce then layer the cutlets into the dish. Cover with remaining sauce, sprinkle with Parmigiana and top with mozzarella. (The dish may be frozen at this point.) Bake at 350º for about 15 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted.
*See my video on Chicken Tenders to see how to make your own thin cutlets. **See my video on Marinara Sauce. WATCH THE VIDEO
Now that you have made Poached Chicken and Chicken Stock (see previous post) you are ready to make James Beard’s Chicken Pot Pie. Since the 1960’s I have tried many different recipes for this wonderful comfort dinner, but none have compared. The only change I have made is to cook the pastry separately since I find the pastry is more crispy.
Also, this is a wonderful recipe to get children to eat their veggies!
Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients:
4 to 5 cups cubed leftover cooked chicken 12 small white onions 2 carrots, cut in thin slices 1 cup peas 1 cup cubed potato 1 cup corn 1 clove garlic, crushed ¼ cup chopped parsley 2 cups chicken broth 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 1 cup heavy cream, or milk Salt and freshly ground pepper ½ teaspoon Tabasco One sheet of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry 1 egg yolk blended with 1 tablespoon cream
Cook vegetables until just tender, about 8 minutes in the chicken broth, seasoned with garlic and parsley. Strain, reserving 1 cup of the broth and remove the garlic. Melt the butter in a saucepan or skillet, blend with the flour, and cook several minutes. Gradually stir in 1 cup of the broth and continue stirring till the mixture thickens. Cool slightly, stir in the cream or milk and season with salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Open the sheet of pastry and cut along fold lines. Cut in half horizontally to make six portions. Brush the pastry with the egg yolk mixture and, if you wish, you may cut out pastry chickens with a small cutter and place on top of the pastry “lids” and brush the chickens with the yolk mixture. Bake for 20 minutes in a 400° oven or until well puffed and golden. ” Serve in bowls topped with the pastry “lids”.
This is a great make-ahead recipe. Simply reheat the chicken mixture gently and reheat the pastry in a 300° oven. The filling may also be frozen. WATCH THE VIDEO
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