Eggplant Parmesan

Well, to start off, I can't believe that I have posted 50 times on my blog.  When I started this in January it really was just for Teddy and I to keep a record of what was going on in our lives since time seems to strip us of our memories.  Now I'm 8 months in, blogging on average once per week, enjoying writing, and taking  a lot more pictures. (Although this post won't have pictures because I do lapse into forgetfulness from time to time)  It even seems that some of our family and friends are actually reading the blog, which I never expected.  It is a nice surprise when someone comments to me on what they read in my blog recently.  I am happy to say that this is one new years resolution that I've actually kept up with. 

Ok, so on to the actual purpose for today's blog.  I have been in a cooking rut, making a lot of the same things over and over again.  I have tried some new recipes that have all been delicious, but my favorite kind of cooking is to just take some ingredients that I have on hand, think might be good, or that I remember from watching some cooking show and throw it together hoping for the best.  At the farmers market there was a ton of eggplant, and it all looked so fresh and delicious.  I had never cooked with eggplant, but thought why not give it a try.  I've been trying to incorporate a meatless meal in our diet every now and then since we tend to eat some form of meat at every meal. 

So, Monday night as I was trying to figure out what to make, I was running through my pantry and fridge contents in my head while I was on the train headed home and thought, why not Eggplant Parmesan.  I've made chicken parm before, so it can't be all that different.  And I actually had all the ingredients.  I made it with some roasted rosemary and thyme potatoes, which was a nice alternative to pasta.  Teddy loved it, so we had a delicious meat free dinner that I'm happy to say I'd definitely try again.  And even better, it was pretty darn easy.  So, here is what I did:

Ingredients:
1 eggplant sliced into half inch rounds
1 egg
1 splash of milk
1 cup of italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
ground pepper to taste
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  I mixed the egg, splash of milk and some ground pepper together in a small bowl.  I then put the bread crumbs in another bowl and dipped the sliced eggplant first in the egg mixture and then coated it with the bread crumbs.  While I was doing this I had my saute pan heating over medium high heat.  I put in about a tablespoon of olive oil (I use flavored oil from a local store called the Olive Tap - this time I used the Tuscan Herb blend) and then added the bread crumb coated egg plant.  I let them brown on each side for 2 - 3 minutes and then put them on a cookie sheet and popped them in the oven for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes I flipped them over, put about a table spoon of jar marinara sauce on each slice and sprinkled enough cheese to cover the sauce.  They then went back into the oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese melted. 

The eggplant was tender and flavorful with the crispy breadcrumb crust mixed with the tomato sauce and gooey cheese.  It was absolutely delicious!  I have heard the skin of eggplant can be tough, but mine was fork tender and not even noticeable.  I'm sure that is more due to the freshness of the eggplant buying it at the farmers market and less due to how I cooked it.

On to the roasted potatoes.

Ingredients:

6 small fingerling potatoes cut into half inch chunks
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme minced
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Put the potatoes on a cookie sheet, sprinkle them with the rosemary and thyme and then drizzle over the olive oil.  Using your hands mix the potatoes so they all get an even coating of the oil and herbs.  Pop them in the oven for about 25 - 30 minutes. 

The potatoes were crispy/crunchy on the outside, but light and fluffy on the inside.  They were really quite good, and I bet would work well in a foil pan on the grill as well if you don't want your oven on in the house. 

It was a great dinner, and I was happy getting my fix in trying to make something I never had before.  And the biggest payoff was that it actually tasted great, and took no time to get on the table.