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Eggplant Parmesan – Mediterranean Style

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If eating more vegetables is your goal, this one makes veggies a meal. Updated to a healthier, Mediterranean Style recipe, it’s both healthy and delicious.

Ingredients

1 wide eggplant
5 ounces shredded Kaseri Cheese or Caciocavallo or Mozzarella (used mozzarella)
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan
Basil or pesto
Olive Oil
For the tomato sauce:
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 to 2 mushrooms chopped
2 to 4 cloves garlic minced
Salt/Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cut eggplant slices about 1/2 inch thick. Cutting the eggplant lengthwise works too.
2. Place eggplant slices in a colander, salt and let the eggplant sit for about an hour, this helps remove the excess moisture.
3. Prepare sauce by sautéing onion until translucent in 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add garlic and mushrooms and continue sautéing for another minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven at 350 Fahrenheit (180 Celsius).
5. Dust each side of eggplant slices with grated Parmesan.
6. Now either dry fry slices for about 6 minutes, or bake in preheated oven of 450 degrees Fahrenheit (230 Celsius) and and for 15-20 minutes.
7. Once your eggplant slices have been dry fried or baked begin assembling.
Brush a 13×9 pan with olive oil or you can spread tomato sauce. Place the eggplant, then basil or pesto, then tomato sauce,  and then cheese on each piece.
8. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until eggplant is soft.
9. Serve.

Fig and Date Bread

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped pitted dates
  • 1 cup chopped dried figs*
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 cup Demerara sugar**
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8×4 inch baking pan.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the dates, figs, butter and baking soda. Pour in the boiling water, stir well and let stand for 15 minutes.
  • Beat the sugar, walnuts and eggs into the date mixture. Combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the date mixture just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
* Substitute 3/4 cup dried cranberries and 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger for figs.
**Substitute Honey for sugar

Ciabatta Rolls

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These favorites take about 19 hours to produce and are well worth the effort.

Ingredients

  • For Pre-ferment
    • 177 g all purpose flour
    • 1/6 tsp Instant Yeast
    • 177 g Room Temp Water
  • For Dough
    • 361 grams all purpose flour
    • 1 packet (7 grams) instant yeast
    • 2 tsp (12 grams) kosher salt
    • 2 Tbsp (14 grams) instant non-fat milk
    • 152 grams water
    • 3 Tbsp (35 grams) olive oil

Instructions

  • Start by making a pre-ferment with 177 grams of all-purpose flour, 1/16th tsp of instant yeast and 177 grams of room temperature water. Mix together until it resembles a too-thick pancake batter. Wrap tight in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours, then refrigerate overnight.
  • For the main dough, add the following to the bowl of your stand mixer: 361 grams of all-purpose flour, 1 packet (7 grams) of instant yeast, 2 tsp (12 grams) of kosher salt, 2 Tbsp (14 grams) of instant non-fat milk, the entirety of the pre-ferment, 152 grams of lukewarm water, and 3 Tbsp (35 grams) of olive oil.
  • Mix together using the paddle attachment. Once it all comes together, remove the paddle and replace with a dough hook and knead on medium-low speed for 7-8 minutes until smooth, shiny, and sticky.
  • Use the dough stickiness to roll into a taught ball. Place it into a well-oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours, or more than doubled in size.
  • Using an oiled rubber spatula, fold the dough in and on itself, turning the bowl as you go, 8 times. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes and then repeat the process one time.
  • After another 30 minutes, spread the dough into a large rectangle on a well-floured work surface. Pop any huge bubbles that appear, and then trim the dough into your desired size ciabatta pieces – I recommend 4×6 inches or 4×8 inches.
  • Set the pieces of dough on a heavily floured piece of parchment paper set in a rimmed baking sheet. Cover with an inverted rimmed baking sheet. Let proof and rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
  • Cut the parchment in half (so you have half the dough on one side), spritz dough pieces generously with water, and sprinkle with a little more flour. Use a pizza peel to place the dough on a preheated pizza stone in a 450°F oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until browned and puffed.
  • Brush off the excess flour and let cool for at least one hour.
  • Use a shallow rimmed baking sheet as a cutting template to cut the bread in half with a bread knife.

Baked Pears

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Not only is this dish delicious, it’s simple and elegant. Use your favorite red wine in the ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 5 large brown Bosch pears
  • 400 ml (14 oz) Red Wine
  • 250 gm (8 3/4 oz) Demerara Sugar
  • 3 Tb Honey
  • 1/4 c water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 med-lg orange
  • 4 Earl Grey tea bags
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 5 black pepper-corns
  • 5 whole cloves

Directions

  • Peal and half pears, leaving stem, and place cut side up into a 9×13 baking dish.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine the wine, sugar, honey, cinnamon, bay leaves and remaining spices, the pealed rind of the orange along with its juice and bring to a simmer, stirring to combine. Simmer for 4-5 minutes to let the tea steep. Remove the tea bags and continuing simmering the mixture til it reduces to a runny syrup, stirring occasionally.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 C, or roughly 390 F.
  • After about 15-20 minutes of reduction, spoon the mixture over the pears, making sure to cover the cinnamon and bay leaves. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the dish from the oven and remove the foil. Place the bay leaves and cinnamon stick on top of some of the pears. Baste the pears liberally with the reduction and place back in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool to room temp. Meanwhile, set the oven temp to 400 F for some puff pastry.
  • Take a puff pastry sheet and cut into nice sized pieces. place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the pastry with an egg-wash and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
  • Pop in the oven for 12-15 minutes and serve with the pears.