eggplant parmesan,

So yesterday the Hospitality Committee cleaned out the kitchen at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Wanda brought snacks for everybody. There were luscious looking boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce and some yummy meatballs. But not for me. Because yesterday was one of my vegetarian days during Lent. Oh, I wanted that shrimp, in particular. For me, and I am not trying to appear ungrateful, was the guacamole, egg salad and spinach artichoke dip.

I’m okay with guacamole and partially okay with egg salad (I am not a devotee of the sweet pickle juice almost all Southerners love in their egg salad), but I have to tell you I may be the only person on the planet who does not like spinach artichoke dip. It may be because the actual taste of the spinach and artichoke is completely overtaken by the cream cheese and sour cream. Spinach artichoke dip is on every reception table and I just don’t understand it. Then again, so are cheese straws and I actually heard an interview with a Southern grande dame who does not like them. I can’t understand that either. How can you disparage something that includes cheese and butter? The interview was done by Chef Scott Peacock for the Alabama Project. Take a listen to Dodgie Shaffer’s disdain for them.

But I digress. I made it through the day by running to my beloved Publix for a cheese sandwich. I am beginning to hate cheese sandwiches. Then I came home, and spurred on by my friends who accused me of a lack of creativity during my vegetarian sojourn, made Eggplant Parmesan. It is not creative. But it was yummy and the yearnings for  shrimp and meatballs began to subside.

Eggplant Parmesan

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup minced carrots

½ medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/3 cup red wine

1 25-ounce can crushed tomatoes

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

1 medium eggplant

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon milk

1 cup breadcrumbs

12 ounces fresh mozzarella

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the carrots and sauté for about 10 minutes. Add the onion and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add the oregano and wine. Cook until the wine reduces by half. Add the tomatoes, paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes over low heat.

Peel the eggplant and slice lengthwise into ½-inch strips. Mix the egg with the milk and dip each slice into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant in batches until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

Slice the mozzarella cheese into thin slices.

To arrange the casserole, start with a layer of one fourth of the tomato sauce, then add ½ the eggplant and a third of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Make one more layer of sauce, eggplant and cheese and top with the remaining tomato sauce and remaining cheeses.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.


One Comment

  1. Julie
    JulieReply
    March 17, 2013 at 3:32 pm

    that looks amazing, much better than meat. (and I do love meat). Only 2 more weeks, Catherine! And no, I can’t understand not loving either Artichoke dip or Cheese straws. Radishes and canned beets, yes, but those 2 things, no…

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