I told you that I made fresh pasta but I didn't tell you what I ate it with...I made Eggplant Parmesan for the first time! I don't know if I've ever even eaten it before but it was so delicious and really not that difficult.
First I took my nice big eggplant and sliced it into 1/4" or thicker pieces using the mandolin. You can also just use a knife but since I have the mandolin I figured I may as well use it.
Next you have to salt the eggplant so that it sweats out all the extra moisture. I used Kosher salt and I sprinkled it generously on both sides and then set it in a colander to drain. Let it sit for a half hour or so to sweat and then pat them dry.
Next put them in a ziploc with some flour and shake to coat. Make an assembly line station with the floured eggplant, egg (scrambled) and panko breadcrumbs. You can use regular breadcrumbs too but I read on a few sites that the Panko makes it extra crunchy and I had some on hand so that's what we went with.
Pan fry the eggplant slices with some oil on the stovetop and then set in a dish with marinara sauce and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees just long enough to get the sauce warm and the cheese melty
Last but not least, serve over fresh pasta with some homemade bread turned into garlic bread (and I guess we can have some green beans too lol). Yum!
I am a part time quilter, full time engineer and hope to one day become a full time quilter. Feel free to read along as I explore quilting, cooking and anything else that strikes my fancy.