Eva's Kitchen - Eva Longoria Parker [41]
2. Wash the eggplant, but do not peel it. Cut it crosswise in ¼-inch-thick slices. In a shallow dish or pie plate, lightly beat the eggs. In another shallow dish or pie plate, combine the bread crumbs with ½ cup Parmesan cheese, and stir with a fork until well combined.
3. Working with one eggplant slice at a time, coat it on both sides with the egg and allow the excess to drip off. Place it in the bread crumbs, and coat on both sides. Transfer to a platter or baking sheet.
4. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat until shimmery and hot but not smoking. Add as many slices of eggplant as can fit in a single layer; do not crowd the pan. Cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the eggplant slices to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining slices, adding more oil as needed.
5. Meanwhile, pour the Bolognese in a small saucepan; if using jarred sauce, add a little water to the jar. Close the jar and shake it to loosen the sauce stuck to the sides of the jar. Add the water to the saucepan. Over medium heat bring the sauce just to boiling. Cover, set aside, and keep warm.
6. Arrange half of the eggplant slices along the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top the eggplant with half of the warm sauce. Arrange half of the mozzarella slices on top and sprinkle with half of the remaining Parmesan cheese. Arrange the remaining eggplant slices over the cheese. Cover with the remaining meat sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
7. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
FROM AUNT ELSA’S KITCHEN For a pretty presentation, set aside half of the most uniformly sized eggplant slices for the top layer. Use the rest for the bottom layer that no one can see.
A LOVE LETTER One of my greatest joys is a beautiful and well-organized produce section, where everything is in its place, fresh, and easy to find. I’d like to take a moment to write a love letter to all the grocery store managers who oversee these wonderful produce sections. I am extremely grateful when all the signs are correct and readable so that when I am searching for an unfamiliar ingredient, I can find it easily. I know that others have had an experience like I did the first time I went to the store to buy rhubarb to make a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Being from Texas, I had no idea what rhubarb looked like or where to begin to search for it in the produce section. I didn’t know whether it was a fruit or a vegetable; big or small; green, pink, or blue! In the end, I simply asked a clerk, which is something I enthusiastically encourage you to do. Don’t be afraid to ask! Those people lurking by the lemons are there to help. They not only know where things are, they should also know what’s in the back waiting to be brought out and what they’ve ordered for tomorrow. I am rarely more frustrated than when I come into a store where the produce section is in disarray and the folks working there seem as confused as the customers surely are. Please, conscientious produce managers everywhere, remember that the produce in the store was grown and harvested by human beings, and it’s vital to treat this food with a respect worthy of the hard labor that made it possible.
dressings & sauces
In my family, no one would ever consider buying something that could be easily and inexpensively made at home. I still remember my grandmother tossing together green salads with nothing more than some vegetable oil, white vinegar, and maybe a little salt. I also remember that my abuela’s salads were the best I ever tasted. When I learned how to make my own dressings at home, I figured out that, especially when I expanded beyond plain vegetable oil and white vinegar, they tasted much better than anything I could buy. Best yet, they store really well, so you can make a batch for your salad one night and then save the rest