“You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients.”
- Julia Child
It's been almost a month since I have written a post. Now I could ramble on about how life has been so busy and I can't get a free minute to sit down and write, so on and so forth..... which wouldn't be a lie.... BUT, the main reason I haven't written is simply a lack of inspiration. So much has been happening in our lives and it's all been amazing and fun and worthy of writing about but the true inspiration keeps escaping me; until now!
We set up every weekend at the St. Andrews Waterfront Farmers' Market (www.waterfrontmarkets.org) here in Panama City to sell my soy candles and Chad's chainsaw art (if you haven't checked it out yet, you really should! It's amazing! www.emeraldcoastcarving.com) and have grown to love it. Not only because we make some extra money but really because we love the environment. Everything for sale is locally grown or locally handmade. The collection of talent and skill gathered together in a weekly "show" of peoples' craft is such a fun experience. We have found a sort of family within this community of farmers and artists. The different vendors all inspire you to want to push your creativity and try new things. Which is where my new blog post inspiration comes from:
Utilizing your Farmers' Market Veggies
I have been ordering eggplant parmesan in Italian restaurants since before most kids would even begin to try eggplant. It's my absolute favorite meal to eat. I have never tried my own hand at cooking it, however, out of pure fear I would destroy it and my love affair with the eggplant may be forever botched. I have occasionally glanced at the eggplants in all their purple splendor in the produce section at Publix and wondered, "could I... should I?" and yet always talked myself out of it in the end. Rewind to this past Sunday. I'm sitting in our booth at the Grand Lagoon Waterfront Farmers Market and we are setup next the Weslowski Farms produce stand. There they are: Fresh eggplants. Staring at me. Mocking me. Until I can no longer take it! I get out of my chair, march over and pick up the eggplant with a new-found determination. I WILL make an eggplant parmesan and the key to my success will be this fresh eggplant, these fresh tomatoes, and this fresh onion and garlic.
The best thing about buying direct from the farmers themselves is their wealth of knowledge concerning their produce. They grow it, so of course they cook it! They are always happy to help you with recipes and tips and tricks about preparation. Publix may have those little recipe cards but they can't hold a candle to a farmer that is proud of their crop! After picking their brains for a few minutes on the best way to go about preparing my dish I was ready. Bring it on eggplant; You and I will be rendezvousing later!
Fast forward back to last night and I decided to go for it. I'll skip all the melodramatics and just tell you that it was an overwhelming success. My husband, who usually won't touch a meal that doesn't contain some sort of animal protein, even rated it 5 stars and went back for seconds! Not only did I cook the fresh eggplant but I went all out and even made my own marinara sauce using market fresh tomatoes, onions and garlic! Ready to triumph over your own personal culinary insecurities? Here's the recipe that won my battle and boosted my confidence:
How beautiful are these ingredients?
We'll start with the Marinara Sauce:
You'll need:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28 ounce can whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree
- 2 or 3 fresh roma tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- Sea salt or Kosher Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
1. Rough chop both your fresh and canned tomatoes. Using a stick blender, puree tomatoes and juice from the can into your desired sauce texture.
2. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. While oil is heating dice the onion and mince the garlic.
3. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3
minutes. Add the tomatoes and Italian seasoning and bring to a boil. Lower
the heat and simmer, covered, for at least 10 minutes. Salt and Pepper to taste.
Your sauce is complete! Woohoo!
Now on to the main dish:
Eggplant Parmesan
You'll Need:
- 1 large eggplant
- salt, as needed, plus 1/2 tablespoon
- 3 cups breadcrumbs (I used Japanese Panko because I like extra crunch)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
- All-purpose flour for dredging
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- Olive oil, as needed
- Marinara Sauce (I used above recipe)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided
- 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
2. Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, breadcrumbs, and Italian seasoning and season with pepper to desired likeness. Place the flour in a medium lipped plate or bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Working in small batches, fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish
with 1/3 of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over
the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another 1/3 of the sauce. Scatter
half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella.
6. Bake until browned an bubbly, about 25 minutes.
Have a glass of sangria while it's baking; You deserve it!
(Yes, mine is frozen...who doesn't love a slushy?)
I served the eggplant over whole wheat angel hair pasta with extra marinara sauce.
Buon Appetito!
On the menu for tomorrow:
Fresh blueberry waffles for breakfast and stuffed bell peppers for dinner;
Both with market fresh produce! See you at the market this weekend!
