eggplant

Still not quite there on the Pollo alla Griglia…

~ Gary Bechard ~ 2 Comments

Well, well, well I am still trying to finish my chicken over greens recipe (not surprising, however) but the good news is I came up with a new recipe that turned out really well and you will never miss the meat. I have always had a fascination with doing meatless or low meat recipes and it comes from when I was in Italy with the Army. When we were in the countryside and eating on the economy I noticed that the Italian cooks used meat as almost a side dish and highlighted the fresh vegetable ingredients. I am attempting to do the same with some of my dishes.

Ain’t No Chicken in Here

(Eggplant cutlets )

Gary Bechard – The Well Fed Cyclist

Ingredients – 

3 – Eggplant, medium size

2 1/2 cups – Plain Panko breadcrumbs

3 cups – All purpose white flour (or, if you want to get earthy with it whole wheat)

1 cup – grated parmesan cheese

4 tbsp – Dried Italian seasoning  (or 1 tbsp each of oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary)

3 tsp – Sea Salt, coarse ground, (or to taste)

2 tsp – Black pepper, coarse ground (or to taste)

20’ish ounces – Spaghetti sauce (1 small jar)

7 to 8 slices – Mozzarella cheese (I sliced a ball of mozzarella into 1/4 in slices for my dish so they were smaller than the pre-sliced at the grocery store)

Small jar of whole Roasted Red Bell Peppers

4 – Large eggs

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Construction Instruction – 

Cutlet Breading – In a one gallon plastic bag, place the breadcrumbs, flour, parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper

Eggplant Preparation – Peel the eggplants and slice into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices and place on a plate. You should end up with 6 to 8 slices when you are done. Next, beat the eggs and place them in a bowl or baking dish that you can use to dip the slices in and next to that dish another dish with the breadcrumb mixture. You should have a kind of assembly line thing going on.(Hint: I usually will bread three of the slices before firing up the skillet so that I can do them at the same time.) On the opposite side of the skillet I set up the baking dish (9 X 13) I will use to bake them in.

        Eggplant slices > Egg wash > Breadcrumbs > Skillet > Baking Dish

Cooking – In the large skillet cover the bottom with a light coating of olive oil and bring the pan up to heat making sure that the temperature is not too high because olive oil has a low smoke point. Pan grill the eggplant cutlets until the breading is golden brown.

Assembly – Next place the cutlets in a single layer on a 9 X 13 baking dish where a thin layer of spaghetti sauce is on the bottom. On top each of the cutlets place the remaining spaghetti sauce  and then a single layer of the roasted red bell pepper. For the last step layer the mozzarella slices on each of the cutlets. Then cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cutlets.

Uses – I used this as a main dish as a replacement for the meat and served this with roasted asparagus and wild rice. 

Enjoy!

the Well Fed Cyclist – Gary Bechard

Penguin lust is a wonderful thing…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I loved Berkley Breathed’s cartoon Bloom County and was sad to see it go 25 years ago but I am very happy that it is back and just as good as before.  This recipe is named for Opus, the penguin character in this comic strip.  Here in Pittsburgh it is always misconstrued as misplaced support for the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.  I do like them but I like Opus much better. This recipe is one that has evolved over the past 20 years and has gotten better every year all by trial and, I won’t say error, but taste. I am surprised that I have not written anything about this recipe before now but I guess I was being a bit selfish. It started long ago in a galaxy far away when I was not impressed by the local Italian place’s eggplant parmesan and I thought I could do better.  I hope you like this version and if you are feeling “froggy” you can use sharp provolone to punch up the flavors.  Tomorrow is another adventure with the smoker this time with a brisket and the Texas rule of 3-2-1 for smoking the meat. I nhope it turns out okay.

Penguin Lust Eggplant Parmesan

Gary Bechard – The Well Fed Cyclist

4 – small to medium eggplant, skinned and sliced lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick slices (or for the metric geeks a little less than ½ cm) Sort these by size (I will explain later…Now, just do it)

1 to 2 packages – packaged, sliced mozzarella cheese

15 ounces – ricotta cheese (I use skim but, hey, if you want to use full it’s your waistline. I won’t judge)

Or

1 to 2 packages – sliced provolone cheese

Or You can mix and match!

4 – medium to large Portobello mushroom caps (deveined by taking the dark stuff under the cap), sliced thin, about 1/16 of an inch or about .25 cm

2 to 3 cups – whole wheat flour (you can use white if you want to but I find that whole wheat gives a richer flavor)

Note – I use my hand for measurement most times and very rarely use measuring devices. I kind of cup my hand and fill the hollow which is about 1 tablespoon.

3 palms full – dried parsley flakes (about 3 to 4 tablespoons)

2 palms full – dried basil flakes (about 2 to 3 tablespoons)

1 palm full – dried oregano flakes (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)

½ palm – garlic powder (you do not want to overdo this one if you want a kiss for your efforts later)

1 to 2 palms full – coarse ground black pepper (1 to 2 tablespoons)

5 – eggs, beaten

Extra Virgin Olive oil

Either 2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce OR, if your favorite sauce is your own homemade sauce, about 6 cups should do it

1 cup – shredded or grated parmesan cheese (I use a combination of pecorino Romano, parmesan and Asiago cheeses)

9 X 13 inch baking dish

Large non-stick skillet

Preparation:

Besides the slicing of the eggplant and mushrooms there is only one thing that you would have to do and that is to make your coating for the eggplant. In a large sealable plastic bag (1 gallon works best for me) dump in flour, parsley flakes, basil, oregano, garlic powder, parmesan cheese and pepper. Seal bag and shake to mix thoroughly. Set aside.

The Assembly Line:

What I normally do at this point (after all the slicing and mixing has been done) is create an assembly line for what are essentially limp, eggplant fritters (in a manner of speaking). The overall concept for the dish is to create individual stacks of eggplant parmesan. My set up (going from left to right) is stacks of eggplant slices, 5 eggs beaten, seasoned flour then the pan. On the other side of the pan, the 9 X 13 baking dish with the stacks of mozzarella, portabella mushroom slices, and ricotta or provolone slices (make sure you have a fork for the ricotta).

Let’s begin:

Pour half of your sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Then take your trusty non-stick skillet and pour enough olive oil to slightly cover the bottom of the pan. Set the stove to medium low (5 to 6 on my stove you gas users are on your own, sorry) and allow the oil to come to temperature. (You should see a slight shimmer on the oil) Starting with the largest eggplant slices dip in the egg and then cover with flour. Place in skillet and cook until both sides are browned and eggplant slice is slightly limp. (I try to do 3 to 4 at a time). Once a set of slices are done, set each in the 9 X 13 dish as the base for the eggplant stacks. On top of the first layer place a layer of portabella mushroom slices. (You can start with a different ingredient but this is usually my first layer). Repeat the process for the second set of eggplant slices, place on top of the mushroom layer and layer on mozzarella cheese.

Special Note – After about two sets of eggplant slices the flour that falls off during the cooking process will start to burn slightly. I usually scrape the residue out of the pan with a silicone spatula and re-oil the pan so that the oil is clean for the next set of slices.

I continue the cooking and layering process with ricotta and then top with one final slice. You can make the stacks as high as you want but mine end up in this order:

Eggplant/mushroom/eggplant/mozzarella/eggplant/provolone/eggplant

Pour remaining sauce over the top of each stack and sprinkle parmesan, Romano, Asiago cheeses on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

I like to have a nice salad or green beans cooked with pancetta or prosciutto. You should have a great Chianti on hand or (if you like white) a good Pinot Grigio to have with your eggplant.

What is that I see on the horizon? Could it be?!, maybe…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I have been mulling over a recipe idea for about a week now since one of my work colleagues came in with a cherry-limeade slushy. So, I kind of deconstructed the flavors in my head, cherries in their own right have a bit of a bite to go along with the sweetness and mixed with the tart of the lime and the sugar I thought they might play well with some types of proteins.   I dismissed my original thoughts as silly but wrote them in my food notebook anyway just in case. Then I happened to walk by the cherries in the produce section of the grocery store  and again began thinking that I needed to do something with those flavors…but what?  Tomorrow will bring another grand experiment in flavors and will be done with pork, which tends to be a good canvas when trying new flavor combinations. There will be a pan seared pork chop which will be then baked with macerated cherries done with limes and Key Lime juice and  a bit of brown sugar.  We will just see how this works out but in the mean time here is another of the older blog posts that was almost lost on the old site. This was a pretty tasty bake and served quite a few.

Mom always said to look both ways…

Ah yes, yesterday I experienced the dangers of walking in a city crosswalk. (And, by the way, yes, I did have the light). It is not bad enough that I have to drive for four hours a day on my commute submitting myself to the vagaries of cell phone addicted youth and people who are really just too stupid to live but no I have to endure the casual city drivers who have forgotten all of those cute little rules you learn in Driver’s Ed. There I was minding my own business (I even looked both ways mind you) in the crosswalk when an idiot in a small Pontiac hit me! I know it was a Pontiac because I ended up on the hood of the vehicle as he tried to make his “right turn on red”. Not that I would not make a stunning hood ornament, but getting hit is one of the last things I needed after a very stressful day. Luckily, his speed was such that I was able to roll up on the hood and not get injured but it did make my drive home that much more “special”. Enough of my whining because I have to get to today’s recipe.

This was the product of a “food dream”. I was on my hideous commute thinking of other ways to prepare eggplant and this is the result because I happened to be thinking of shrimp at the same time. Don’t ask me why I was thinking of shrimp. I just was. It also may be because I was trying to figure out a totally different way to do shrimp (and to use up the rest of the eggplant I had in the fridge before it turned into a science experiment). I hope you give it a try.

Shrimp and Eggplant Bake
(makes 4 to 6 servings)

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 pounds of 31-41 count shrimp deveined and peeled
Fine bread crumbs Coarse grained salt
1/3 cup (there about) Shredded Parmesan, Romano and/or Asiago cheese1-3 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 (28-ounce) can peeled and crushed, or diced tomatoes 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, optional Salt and coarsely ground fresh black pepper 1/4 cup basil (about 10 leaves), torn
2 tablespoons of dried basil
8 oz of angel hair pasta

Place eggplant in a colander and season generously with salt. Fill a 1-gallon plastic bag with water, seal tightly and place over eggplant to weigh down. Let stand for 40 minutes. Rinse the salt off the eggplant, and pat dry. Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add eggplant and cook, stirring often, until golden brown on all sides, about 5 to 10 minutes, maybe less. I lose track. Add garlic, tomatoes and their juice to the pan. Stir in the sugar and salt. Simmer until sauce has slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes or longer depending on how juicy your tomatoes are. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add the basil and cook 1 minute more. Spread half of this mixture on the bottom of a 91/2 by 13 baking dish and set to the side.
Take shrimp, wet with water and roll lightly in breadcrumbs. Lightly coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil bring to a low heat and add dried basil. Stir lightly for about 2 minutes. Cook shrimp so that they are slightly brown on either side (about 30 seconds per side). Lay the slightly cooked shrimp in one layer on top of the eggplant and tomato mixture then cover with the remaining mixture. Sprinkle the shredded cheese mixture over the top and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

During the last five minutes of the baking process cook the angel hair pasta according to package directions, drain well and put into a large mixing bowl. Toss with dried basil, oregano, pepper and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Make sure the pasta is coated well.
Serve the Shrimp bake with the side of angel hair pasta and a nice dry Chianti.

Enjoy!