Eggplant con Pomodori

As an Italian, eggplant has always been a predominate vegetable in my household. However most recipes call for tons of cheese, bread crumbs and frying or baking. I wanted a dish that preserved the wonderful taste of eggplant and tomatoes but with less work and calories. To reduce the cooking time I start by microwaving the eggplant which cooks it faster and reduces its water content by half. When you add it in with the tomatoes, it soaks up the liquid from the tomatoes resulting in a rich and savory flavor that is also very healthy. It will remind you of eggplant parmigiana without all of the cheese and fried eggplant.

Makes 8 Sides

Ingredients

1 Medium to Large Purple Eggplant (diced)

1 tsp Table Salt

1 Yellow Onion (finely diced)

1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic (minced)

1 15oz. Can Diced Tomatoes (undrained)

½ tsp Dried Parsley or 1½ tsp Fresh Parsley (minced)

¼ tsp Dried Basil or ¾ tsp Fresh Parsley (minced)

2 TBS Grated Romano Cheese *

Peel and dice the eggplant into ¼ inch cubes. Place in a colander placed in a bowl and sprinkle with one teaspoon of table salt. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

Rinse the eggplant (to remove excess salt) then place it on a large microwave safe plate covered with two sheets of paper towel. Place two more sheets of paper towels on top of the eggplant and microwave on high for 10 minutes.

Finely diced the onion. Sautee in a large skillet over medium heat until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the undrained can of diced tomatoes, parsley, basil, and grated Romano cheese. Simmer until about half the liquid evaporates and it starts to thicken. Add the cooked eggplant lower the heat to medium low, cover, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

* Pronto Substitute

Romano Cheese – Romano is a sharp deeply flavorful grated cheese. You can substitute a good quality parmesan cheese.

Canned Tomatoes vs. Fresh

Getting flavorful tomatoes today means going to the farmers market where you can get vine ripened tomatoes. Canned diced tomatoes are consistent, sweet and available all year long. Calcium chloride is added to stabilize the cell structure of the canned tomatoes, giving them a firmer texture. This works perfectly when you want firm chunks of tomato in the final dish.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Eggplant con Pomodori.

Trellis Restaurant - Colonial Williamsburg

Trellis Restaurant

403 W Duke Of Gloucester St

Williamsburg Virginia

 (757) 229-8610 ·

Directions 

Menu 

$$$

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I'm spending a few days in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia this week exploring the food and history of the area. Tonight I had a magnificant meal at Trellis Restaurant. I arrived early enough to get ther early bird special. For $25 I had roasted red pepper soup, Osso Buco and ice cream. The roasted red pepper soup was creamy, rich and had so much flavor that I wanted to lick the bowl. The Osso Buco, made with veal shank was so tender that the meat was falling off the bone and coated with a delicate orange ginger glaze. It was the best osso buco that I have ever eaten.

Grilled Chicken Modena

If you are looking for a flavorful and healthy alternative to plain grilled chicken try chicken Modena. This brining and marinating cooking method gives you a mouth pleasing and moist grilled chicken breast—grilled chicken never tasted so good.

Makes 4 Servings

Brine

1 Qt cold Water
½ C Kosher Salt or ¼ C Table Salt
½ C Granulated Sugar

2 Garlic Cloves (minced)

Chicken

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts

Marinade *

2 TBS Fresh Basil (chopped)

2 TBS Fresh Parsley (chopped)

1 tsp Fresh Thyme (chopped)

Juice of 1 Lemon

½ C Olive Oil

1/8 C White Balsamic Vinegar *

5 grinds of Black Pepper

Mix the brine ingredients in a gallon-sized zipper-lock bag.  Add the chicken breasts and remove as much air as possible from the bag; brine for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Place all marinade ingredients into a blender and process until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Trim the chicken breasts, pat them dry, and place them in a new gallon-sized zipper-lock bag with the marinade for 30 minutes.

Preheat your grill to medium-hot heat (see “How to Judge the Temperature of a Fire”) and oil the grill.  Grill the chicken until golden brown and the internal temperature has reached 160°.

* Pronto Substitutes

Brining – If you don’t have time to brine, sprinkle the chicken breasts with kosher salt after they have been removed from the marinade.

Marinade – Use ¾ C of store bought balsamic dressing.

White Balsamic Vinegar – Use traditional balsamic vinegar.

How to Judge the Temperature of a Fire

Too hot a fire and your meat will burn, too low a fire and you will not achieve the brown char that adds so much flavor.  Just hold your hand 5 inches from the top of the grill grate and count how many seconds you can comfortably hold it there.

How Hot Is the Grill?

Hot                   2 seconds  

Medium-hot     3–4 seconds

Medium           5–6 seconds

Medium-low   7  seconds

To print a copy of this recipe go to Grilled Chicken Modena. 

Vegetable Lasagna

This is the first in a series of non-meat dishes to help my friends get through Lent. This dish will even make meat lovers think they have gone to Italian heaven.

Lasagna is a very traditional Italian dish and I've probably made over a hundred in my lifetime. However I've never had much success at vegetable lasagna. It’s usually watery and lacking in the right balance of flavors. Well I've finally gotten it right thanks to the microwave. Yes the microwave. The problem has always been that eggplant contains too much water which is released during cooking. By precooking the eggplant in the microwave you eliminate the excess water and shorten the cooking time. This resulted in lasagna that stood firm, melted in your mouth and had the perfect balance of savory vegetables, three cheeses, creamy béchamel and spicy tomato sauce layered between tender noodles.

Makes 8 Servings

Vegetable Filling

1 ½ lb Eggplant (peeled & cut into ½” cubes, ~ 7 cups)

 Kosher Salt

Ground Black Pepper

1 lb Zucchini (cut into ½” pieces ~ 4 cups)

1 lb Yellow Squash (cut into ½” pieces ~ 4 cups)

Cooking Spray

5 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Garlic Cloves (minced)

1 TBS Fresh Thyme (minced)

12 oz. Washed Baby Spinach (about 12 cups)

Three-Cheese Filling

1 lb Whole Milk Ricotta

8 oz. shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese (~ 2 cups)

½ C Parmesan or Romano Cheese (grated)

2 tsp Dried Parsley

2 lg Eggs

Béchamel Sauce

Sauteed Vegetables

2 TBS Unsalted Butter

2 TBS All Purpose Flour

1 ½ C Whole Milk

¼ tsp Table Salt

1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg

½ C Parmesan or Romano Cheese (grated)

Other

12 No-Boil Lasagna Noodles (1-2 boxes)

24 oz Marinara sauce (~3 cups)

4 oz. shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese (~ 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 375°F

Peel and cube the eggplant. In a large bowl, toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover a large plate with coffee filters and spray lightly with cooking spray. Spread the eggplant evenly over the filters and microwave on high for about 10 minutes or until dry to the touch. Return the eggplant to the bowl along with the diced zucchini and yellow squash to toss.

Italian word of the day: melanzana = eggplant

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat until shimmering. Add half the vegetable mixture, ¼ teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground pepper, 1 tablespoon minced thyme and sauté until the vegetables are lightly browned. Clear a small space in the pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 4 minced garlic cloves. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then mix with the vegetables. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the frying pan until shimmering. Add the remaining half of the vegetable mixture, ¼ teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground pepper and sauté until the vegetables are lightly browned. Transfer to the bowl.

Return the skillet to medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the spinach and cook for about 3 minutes or until wilted, stirring frequently. Place on a paper towel coated plate to drain then add to the eggplant mixture.

In a medium bowl mix the three-cheese filling until thoroughly incorporated.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter for the béchamel sauce. Add 2 tablespoons flour and stir constantly until it turns a pale tan color, about 6-7 minutes. Add the milk, salt and nutmeg. Whisk until smooth and continue cooking until thickened (it will coat the back of a spoon). Add the Parmesan and continue to whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat.

Layering of Vegetables, Bechamel Sauce, and Three-Cheese Mixture

Spray a 13” x 9” baking pan with vegetable spray. Spread 1 cup of marinara over the bottom of the pan and cover, overlapping, with four no-boil lasagna noodles. Spread ½ of the vegetable mixture over the noodles followed by ½ of the béchamel sauce. Add ½ of the three cheese mixture followed by ½ C of marinara sauce. Repeat the layering with 4 noodles, remaining vegetable mixture, béchamel sauce, and cheese mixture plus ½ cup of marinara. Cover with 4 more no-boil lasagna noodles. Cover the noodles with 1 cup of marinara and cover pan with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 minutes covered with the aluminum foil. Remove the foil and cover with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Return to the oven and cook an additional 15 minutes. Place on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then cut and serve. Add a salad and garlic bread and you have a complete meal.

Pronto Substitute

Cheese – you can substitute low fat cheese but the lasagna will tend to be more liquid.

Marinara – Substitute any kind of tomato sauce you like.

Make Ahead Lasagna

There are times that you just don’t have the time to cook but you want something good to serve your family or guests. Lasagna can be prepared up to two days in advance, refrigerated, then baked in the oven. You will need to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes if it comes straight from the refrigerator. You can also freeze a prepared, uncooked lasagna for up to 2 months. Just thaw in the refrigerator for two days before cooking.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Vegetable Lasagna.

Gorgonzola Salad Dressing

Yields 1 ¼ cup of dressing.

It’s that time of the year where many of us resort to salads to make up for the indiscretions of the holiday. I don’t like the taste of most bottled salad dressings. They tend to have a strong bite that masks the subtle flavors of the salad, while other are as thick as honey. I decided to venture out and create a dressing that was creamy, balanced and not overpowering. I blended together Gorgonzola cheese, the Italian equivalent of blue cheese, and four other ingredients. The Greek yogurt gives it a creamy richness and acts as an emulsifier.

Dressing Ingredients

½ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ C White Balsamic Vinegar *

½ C Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese *

¼ C Greek Yogurt

¼ tsp Kosher Salt

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until creamy and smooth.

Salad Suggestion

1 head Romaine Lettuce

1 Carrot (diced)

1 Scallion (sliced thin)

½ C Olives (quartered)

½ Red Pepper (diced)

* Pronto Substitutes

White Balsamic Vinegar – You can substitute white vinegar but white balsamic has a sweeter, less harsh taste and will give the dressing a deeper flavor.

Gorgonzola Cheese – Substitute blue cheese.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Gorgonzola Dressing.