Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Eggplant Parmesan

I know, you must be thinking how is eggplant Parmesan healthy?  Well this isn't your usual fried and breaded eggplant smothered in cheese.   It's main ingredient is dry farm tomatoes with a sprinkling of Parmesan and Gruyere with a touch of extra virgin olive oil.  We all need fat in our diet to survive.  Extra virgin olive oil is one of our best sources for Omega 9, an essential fatty acid.  It promotes healthy, youthful skin and hair; supports proper thyroid and boosters immunity.  Now this isn't the kind of food I eat and cook up every night for my family, but after 3 days of potty training we all needed a little comforting.  Here's what you will need:

4 oblong Asian or Italian eggplants (about 6 ounces each)
2-3lbs tomatoes chopped
extra virgin olive oil (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt and freshly milled pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Slice eggplants into 1/2inch coins.  Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet.  Add several slices of eggplant and cook over medium-high heat until golden on each side (about 2-3min per side).  Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Add more oil, heat it, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.  Wipe out the pan.

Heat 3 tablespoons of fresh oil in the skillet, add the tomatoes, and cook over medium-high heat until they have broken down into a chunky sauce, 10-15min.

In each of the four individual gratin dishes, or one shallow dish, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan and spoon 1/4 - 1/2 cup of the sauce.  Next, sprinkle with Gruyere and any leftover parmesan and oregano.

Place the gratins on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10minutes; lower the heat to 375F and bake for another 20 or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.  Serve Warm

I made a side dish of Sauteed Chard which went nicely with this.

1 comment:

  1. This sounds great, Kari! I can't wait to try it. I never make this dish because it's so fattening. Thanks to you, I can eat it again!. LOVE

    ReplyDelete