
'fresh eggplant', Rouse's Market, New Orleans
okay, blog readers, it's time for a little fun!! every friday from now on (keeping my fingers crossed!) I will do a post related in some way to cooking and/or food. i'm reeeaaally excited about this for a few reasons:
1) I have been experimenting with a lot of recipes lately in my lil kitchen
2) I LOVE perusing gourmet groceries (Wegman's anyone?? I mean really!!) with my hot baby who also happens to be an amazing cook
3) Devouring (no pun intended! lol!) food websites/foodie blogs/cookbooks = true entertainment
4) Julia Child is my hero (well, one of them)
5) I ABSOLUTELY ADORE eating!! yay for food!!!!
I digress...anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics, recipes, random ramblings about all things culinary, funny stories about my 'kitchen experiments', etc. Bon appetit!
For our first foodie post, I would like to tell you about my new fav dish:
Wait, wait! don't 'x' out quite yet! it was actually amazingly scrumptious!
please keep reading...
So I found this recipe from foodnetwork.com created by Danny Boome (no, not Daniel Boone!) and it intrigued me. We all know that eggplant is one of those 'ugly stepchild' foods that no one really likes to talk about. poor thing. Well, this recipe transformed our ugly stepchild into the 'belle of the ball'. The original recipe is here. Below is my revised version (much faster, less fat)...
Ingredients
1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise into thin slices
EVOO for brushing eggplant slices, coating baking dish
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 small cans mushrooms, drained
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 T. chopped fresh thyme (found in produce section!)
1 (15oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese (optional)
Italian seasoning
1 jar marinara sauce (I like to use 'Bertoli w/ Burgundy Wine' brand)
Directions
Preheat oven to 455. Arrange sliced eggplant in a single layer on cookie sheets or pizza pans. Brush generously with EVOO, sprinkle w/ salt 'n' pepper. Roast eggplant, 10 minutes each side. Meanwhile, combine mushrooms, crushed garlic, ricotta, eggs, 1/2 cup parmesan, thyme, italian seasoning (amount desired), 1 1/2 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper. stir until combined. Brush baking dish w/ EVOO. Spread 1/2 of marinara sauce down first, layer with eggplant, ricotta mixture. repeat. top with marinara, mozzarella cheese, and remaining parmesan cheese. Bake @ 350 for 3o minutes. serve w/ green salad and italian bread! yummmmy!!
ps ~ Luke said that this was the best meal I had made so far!!! wowzers!! try it tonight!