I will be going to Çanakkale which is in the region of Turkey close to the Mediterranean. It is actually in the Aegean region, where lots and lots of vegetables and olive oil is consumed. Çanakkale is where our summer house is and where my grandparent are spending their summer. When I visit there we will probably have some barbecues as a family tradition. But what I am looking forward the most is learning new family recipes from my grandmother. She is the best cook I know. I mean this lady can cook everything delicious. And she has tiny handy secrets when things go wrong in the kitchen. So I will be sharing my "cooking vacation experiences" when I go there. I think it is also the time for you to get to know "mantı" which is my favourite dish in this planet. Not because I have been to other planets but because it is soooo delicious. More details on that later.
So, if we come to Eggplant Parmesan, You know that I absolutely love eggplant, in every form. And one day I saw this dish on the menu of an Italian restaurant. However it wasn't like I expected. The eggplants were dry and cold plus the tomato sauce was very greasy. So I said, why not try this at home. Here is the recipe for a delicious Eggplant Parmesan:
*Note: By the way I have bought a new camera, so the images that you are going to see are a little bit higher quality. But I am still getting to know the camera so, there might be some fails in those photos.
Also I do not like tomato so I used tomato paste but you can use your favourite tomato based sauce in this recipe.
Ingredients:
3 medium eggplants, mine were tiny so I used 4
2 cups breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
oil for frying
For the tomato sauce:
1/2 cup of tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Basil, fresh if possible
Directions:
1) Peel the eggplants and slice them lenghtwise. Sprinkle some salt and then let them drain for about 5 minutes. Then transfer these eggplants to a bowl filled with water. Let them soak until you prepare the tomato sauce.
2) Add the tomato paste, the garlic and the olive oil into a medium pot. Give it a stir for 2 minutes. Then add in enough water until the you get a sauce-thick consistence. Add in some basil and give it another stir. Let it cool.
3) In a medium skillet, add in some oil for frying, about 2-3 tablespoons. When the oil is getting ready for frying take two shallow bowls: crack the eggs and beat them in one of the bowls and add in the breadcrumbs into the other. You can also add some parmesan cheese and many other spices or herbs into the breadcrumbs. Get creative. (Here I added some "crispy coating mixture" from this recipe)
4) Drain the eggplants and using a paper towel, get rid of the excess water. First rip the eggplants into the egg and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Then shake the eggplant to get rid of the extra breadcrumbs.
5) When the oil is hot enough, carefully add the coated eggplants, this may require a couple of batches. Take the eggplants on a paper towel lined plate when they are fried.
6) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
7) Add some tomato sauce into a casserole dish and spread it evenly. Then line some eggplants.
8) Sprinkle some mozzarella and parmesan onto the eggplants. Then line with eggplants again. Spread some sauce and then sprinkle some cheese.
9)For the final coating, spread some tomato sauce and top with a generous amount of mozzarella and parmesan.
10) Bake it in the oven until the cheese is bubbly. For about 15-20 minutes.
11) Serve it when hot with a salad on side.
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