Eggplant Parmesan a la Melissa

I haven't posted anything in awhile. That's because I recently purchased two new cookbooks, and I've really been enjoying these recipes. The books are The Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance, both by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. These books rock my world (as well as ej's since he directly benefits with all this awesome food).

Eggplant Parmesan a la Melissa is a classic. If I could pick a recipe that I was known for, it would probably be this one. When I became a vegetarian, eggplant parm was one of the first dishes I fell in love with (because, before I was a vegetarian, I didn't really have a taste for vegetables. Ask my dad. He'll tell you "When Mimi was young, if there was even a speck of green on her food, she wouldn't eat it." And this is very true). My dad would make this dish for family parties and gatherings, and now that I am a little older and wiser, I can now make it whenever I please.

Which brings me to a very important point. Its the New Year, and, just like ej and me, most people are trying to eat better. Though this dish may not be the most healthy meal, it can be impressive, and I bust it out when I want to make an impression (like when I made it on New Year's Eve for ej's family). The finished product is very satisfying because it can be time consuming, but it also looks so beautiful and delicious. I am always so proud when an Eggplant Parmesan a la Melissa comes out of the oven.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant
about 1 dozen eggs
1/2 cup milk
4 tbsp pesto
1 container italian style bread crumbs
vegetable oil, for frying


28 oz crushed tomato
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of a white onion, diced
salt, pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
t tsp basil
1 tsp oregano

2 blocks frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 handful Parmesan cheese

For the tomato sauce:
Of course, you can cheat and use canned tomato sauce. Some of it is quite good.

1) Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a sauce pan. When oil is hot, add garlic. Saute for 30 seconds to a minute - be careful not to burn it.

2) Add onion and saute until translucent (a minute or two)

3) Add tomatoes and stir well.

4) Add all spices. Stir. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Set aside.

For the eggplant:

1) Peel it, then slice it. The slices should be no more than 1/2" thick - less is better.

2) I like to create an assembly line for this step. On my left, I have a plate with the sliced eggplant. Then I crack the eggs in a bowl, add the milk and pesto, and stir very well. Its hard to break up all the pesto, but do your best. Some chunks are ok (a hand mixer or blender works well for this step). Then I put my bread crumbs on a plate, and keep an empty plate to my right. So the order is: naked eggplant on left, then egg mixture, bread crumbs, and plate.

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3) Dip the eggplant in the eggs, transfer the eggplant to the bread crumbs and coat. Leave them on the right side plate when you're done with them. I usually double batter (dip in eggs and bread crumbs a second time) about half of the eggplant slices - especially the thicker ones.

4) Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Place the eggplant slices in the oil for 2-3 minutes and flip. I cook them until they are golden brown on each side. Place cooked slices on several layers of paper towels to soak up extra oil.
* Oil tends to go flying in this step, and I have stained many a shirt. Wear an apron or a shirt you don't care about.

Putting the dish together:

1) Preheat the oven to 350.

2) In a large casserole dish, spread some of the tomato sauce over the bottom. Place several eggplant slices in a single layer over the sauce. Dribble more sauce over the eggplant. You don't want to add too much sauce, it will make the dish mushy. I usually use no more than a cup of sauce per layer.

3) Take a handful of the thawed and drained spinach, and squeeze to drain any excess liquid. Spread it over the eggplant/sauce layer. I usually use about two handfuls of spinach per layer. Over the spinach, spread a handful or two of mozzarella cheese. Over that, dribble some more tomato sauce.

4) Repeat these steps until the topmost layer. The topmost layer should end with the mozzarella cheese, and over that I sprinkle a handful of Parmesan cheese.

From Food pics

From Food pics

5) Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until the top layer of cheese is melted and slightly brown.

From Food pics

From Food pics

Cheese and garlic bread

This recipe goes along with comfort foods, because there is nothing better than hot bread, fresh from the oven. This was also the first recipe I could put together on my own. My mom's kitchen was the best to cook in (of course I didn't realize at the time - I only realized when I had my own kitchen and discovered that my gadgets aren't nearly as high quality as my mother's. Nor do I have as much counter space). When I tried the recipe (and it worked!) I was ecstatic, and baked the bread all the time. As time went on, I baked less and less, and cooked more and more, until here I am, 15 years later, in search of that original recipe. I tried several, and none were quite right, and after a lot of tweaking, I finally decided on the final version. And now I present Baby Melissa's Cheese Bread (with modifications).

Ingredients:
2 cups warm milk
2 packets active dry yeast
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
5 cups flour

1. Heat milk - I microwave 2 cups of milk for 2 1/2 minutes. You want it hot, but not so hot that it gets a skin. Mix the milk and the 2 packets of yeast in a bowl. Let sit 5 minutes.

2. After 5 minutes, add garlic, onion, salt, sugar, butter and about a quarter of the cheese. The reason I add some of the cheese now is because the hot milk will melt it, mixing it with everything. I like to keep some of it for later so that there are also pieces of cheese in the bread.

3. Add the flour, a little at a time. Also add the rest of the cheese, but reserve a little Parmesan for a garnish. When it becomes too hard to stir with a spoon, I knead it in the bowl with my hands. If you choose to do this (if you don't have an electric mixer, like myself (ahem, christmas present!?!)), put some oil on your hands so the dough doesn't stick to them as much.

4. Once the dough is kneaded, grease 2 bread pans and divide the dough in half. Put some more oil on your hands and press the dough into the pan - not too firmly, but you want the dough to reach all the corners. The oil on your hands help coat the bread with oil, too - it will brown nicely. Now, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top for a garnish.

5. Cover with a damp dish cloth and let rise for ~ 1 hour.

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This is what it will look like after an hour (it should double in size).

From Food pics

6. Preheat the overn to 350. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

From Food pics

Tofu Stix

(vegan)

I bumped into this recipe online, while I was searching for recipes for panko bread crumbs. These are Japanese bread crumbs, and i fell in love with them when my favorite sushi place started breading their teriyaki tofu with them. Tofu Stix aren't the most healthy snack, but they are pretty damn good.

Ingredients:

1 package extra firm tofu, drained
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp onion powder
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1-2 tsp salt
1/5 tsp ground black pepper
1 package soft silken tofu
1 cup soy milk


1. In a blender, mix the silken tofu and soy milk. Pour mixture onto a plate. (you might not be able to get all of it on the plate, just add some of it, and as it depletes, add more.

2. On another plate, mix the bread crumbs and all other dry spices. Again, you might not be able to fit everything on the plate, just keep adding it as it depletes.

3. After the tofu is finished draining, cut into sticks 1/2 inch thick. (about the size of mozzarella sticks).

4. Bread each stick by covering it in the silken tofu mixture and then covering with bread crumbs. Set aside until all are finished. (Be careful, they break very easily).

From Food pics

From Food pics

5. In a large skillet, heat about an inch of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the stix. Cook until they are brown on the underside, then turn over (about a minute or two, depending on how hot the oil is). You don't want the oil to be too hot, because they will burn on the outside. Cook the stix until they are evenly browned on all sides.

6. As they come out of the skillet, place them on a plate with several paper towels (to absorb the oil). Serve hot with your favorite marinara sauce.

From Food pics