One day last week I decided it was time to do something Italian themed. Just wasn't sure which direction to go though. Out of the blue our good friend Cliff (
clifish
) posted his Eggplant Napoleon and I knew immediately that I was gonna make it, which I did that day. Being that I didn't want to hijack his thread I held off posting it for a couple days then got super busy and just have not had time. Well, the time has come. I'm just gonna hit on the highlights of mine since I pretty much followed his to a T.
The sauce. Used San Marzano tomatoes, fresh garlic, oregano, basil, black pepper, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and a pinch of coffee. Hit the tomatoes lightly with the immersion blender to break them up a bit
Browned a package of my spicy Italian sausage and did the mix exactly as Cliff did but I didn't measure anything...just tossed it together
Eggplant dipped and fried in my homemade garlic and herb infused olive oil. Onto a towel to drain.
Cut up the pseudo Caparese salad and made a Balsamic vinegar and oil dressing which we put on the salad when we plated our dinners
We like bread with our Italian meals but did not have time to make any. Found some pre-made artisan Italian bread dough and figured I'd give it a shot. Brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with kosher salt
Into a 400 degree over for 12 minutes and VOILA!! This stuff is actually very good
Built the eggplant towers exactly as Cliff did: sauce in the pan, eggplant, sausage and cheese mix, more sauce, repeat till you run out of eggplant then top with fresh grated mozz and more sauce.
Olive oil and herb dipping sauce for the bread
The bread sliced beautifully. We will gently reheat it just before serving.
Eggplant onto the top rack of the grill. This is about 15 minutes in and cheese is starting to melt nicely
About 30 minutes, it's hot all the way through, and I'm calling it done. Into the house
Plated and out to the patio to enjoy dinner
Ladies and gentlemen, Cliff posted an out-of-the-park grand slam home run with this meal. It is 100% authentic Italian and the flavor combination is off the charts amazing. We were pretty much fighting over the last one of these. I wanted to eat it and Tracy wanted it for her lunch the next day. Guess who won. I'll give you a hint: it wan't me
There just isn't enough good I can say about this. I've done eggplant parm before and it was OK but certainly not noteworthy. This was!! It will get done again. Matter of fact, Tracy is already asking me to make it real soon. Thanks so much for posting this Cliff. It's taken a basic traditional Italian meal to a whole new level. Oh...I cooked the eggplant in a big electric skillet with the olive oil. It cooked great, browned nicely, and I didn't set off a single smoke detector
Well folks, calling this one done. Need to get my reports written and sent into the office. Got another meal from Saturday that I really want to get posted later if time permits.
Robert
clifish
) posted his Eggplant Napoleon and I knew immediately that I was gonna make it, which I did that day. Being that I didn't want to hijack his thread I held off posting it for a couple days then got super busy and just have not had time. Well, the time has come. I'm just gonna hit on the highlights of mine since I pretty much followed his to a T.The sauce. Used San Marzano tomatoes, fresh garlic, oregano, basil, black pepper, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and a pinch of coffee. Hit the tomatoes lightly with the immersion blender to break them up a bit
Browned a package of my spicy Italian sausage and did the mix exactly as Cliff did but I didn't measure anything...just tossed it together
Eggplant dipped and fried in my homemade garlic and herb infused olive oil. Onto a towel to drain.
Cut up the pseudo Caparese salad and made a Balsamic vinegar and oil dressing which we put on the salad when we plated our dinners
We like bread with our Italian meals but did not have time to make any. Found some pre-made artisan Italian bread dough and figured I'd give it a shot. Brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with kosher salt
Into a 400 degree over for 12 minutes and VOILA!! This stuff is actually very good
Built the eggplant towers exactly as Cliff did: sauce in the pan, eggplant, sausage and cheese mix, more sauce, repeat till you run out of eggplant then top with fresh grated mozz and more sauce.
Olive oil and herb dipping sauce for the bread
The bread sliced beautifully. We will gently reheat it just before serving.
Eggplant onto the top rack of the grill. This is about 15 minutes in and cheese is starting to melt nicely
About 30 minutes, it's hot all the way through, and I'm calling it done. Into the house
Plated and out to the patio to enjoy dinner
Ladies and gentlemen, Cliff posted an out-of-the-park grand slam home run with this meal. It is 100% authentic Italian and the flavor combination is off the charts amazing. We were pretty much fighting over the last one of these. I wanted to eat it and Tracy wanted it for her lunch the next day. Guess who won. I'll give you a hint: it wan't me
There just isn't enough good I can say about this. I've done eggplant parm before and it was OK but certainly not noteworthy. This was!! It will get done again. Matter of fact, Tracy is already asking me to make it real soon. Thanks so much for posting this Cliff. It's taken a basic traditional Italian meal to a whole new level. Oh...I cooked the eggplant in a big electric skillet with the olive oil. It cooked great, browned nicely, and I didn't set off a single smoke detector Well folks, calling this one done. Need to get my reports written and sent into the office. Got another meal from Saturday that I really want to get posted later if time permits.
Robert
