Eggplant parmigiana


We were stuck indoor for three full days! It was hard...really hard, but we made the most of it! Snuggled up, did some crossword puzzles, played board games, sewed dresses for the American girl doll and ate some good food! It was all good! Thankfully we did not lose power because my oven was on almost all day everyday!
 
I was happy to spend some much needed quality time with the kids and be able to rest the whole time. I was also very happy to do what I like doing the most...COOK!

These individual servings of eggplant parmigiana was just the right thing for a cold snow day! Warm, cheesy and tangy!! Of course I am not the one to deep fry anything soooo I did pan fry the eggplant.


Hmmm just out of this world! Once you dig in, it could be raining, icing or snowing outside, you just won't mind!!

Here is what you need:

 
2 large eggplants
olive oil for pan-frying


For the Tomato Sauce:

 2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 leek, washed and sliced
2 stem celery, including leaves, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
4 cans whole peeled tomatoes
½ cup tomato paste
salt, pepper and sugar to taste
Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped


White Sauce
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp  flour
2 cups milk, warm
Salt, pepper and nutmeg

Large handful mozzarella cheese, grated

To assemble- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Remove the stalks from the eggplant, slice them up into 1 cm thick slices, and place in a roasting pan.  Sprinkle with salt and allow to stand for fifteen minutes. 
Drain, rinse well and pat dry. 

Heat a frying pan or griddle pan, add a tablespoon of  oil and fry the eggplant on both sides until golden.  

Tomato Sauce
Heat the oil and the butter in a large saucepan.   Add the onions, garlic, leek, celery and carrot and without coloring, fry until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste and bring to the boil.


Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and there is a good aroma coming off the pot.  Using a liquidizer or a hand held blender, puree the sauce until smooth. Add the herbs if using and season with salt and pepper according to taste.

 

 White Sauce
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour. Whisk in the milk and continue whisking till smooth and thick.  Cook over low heat for a few minutes to cook out the flour. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese.  Once the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.



To assemble
In a baking dish, put in a layer of the prepared tomato sauce, then a thin scattering of Parmesan cheese, followed by a single layer of eggplant and then a layer of white sauce.

Repeat these layers until you've used all the ingredients up, finishing with a little sauce and another good sprinkling of Parmesan.

Place the dish in a preheated oven at 350°F and bake for half an hour until golden, crisp and bubbly.
 
Until next time XOXO

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