Eggplant Parmesan

I'm really not sure what to call this, as it really is just a medley of vegetables - eggplant, zucchini, and potatoes with Parmesan cheese. I enjoy this dish year-round and especially when eggplant is in season - I love the little 'Spanish/European' eggplants that are similar in size to the zucchini and try to buy them when I can. I also find this dish to be a more satisfying vegetarian meal and as always, quite simple to prepare.

First I'd like to reiterate how I determine my portions for ingredients. When I am in my kitchen at home I generally aim to cook a generous meal for 2 people as I like having a little bit of leftovers. I do find however, that most of these recipes can be easily modified and that it's not necessary to follow the portions with precision. I'm one of those people to tends to eyeball things - rarely measuring or timing anything, unless it comes to baking of course, so I encourage you to freestyle with your portions as well.

What you'll need:

3 zucchini
3 Spanish/European eggplant (or one regular eggplant)
3 medium potatoes
1 large ripe tomato
Whole Parmesan Cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper

Heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a deep pot on the stove. Quarter the potatoes and add to the olive oil. Quarter the zucchini and eggplant and add to the pot. You want to be sure that all the veggies are in larger pieces so they do not fall apart when cooking. Grate the tomato (as seen in previous blog) and add to the pot along with the salt and pepper to your taste. I like to salt my veggies after they are cut and let them sit for a minute allowing the salt to soak in.

When you have everything in the pot, add a good cup of water and cover. When it comes to a boil, turn it down to simmer until potatoes are cooked - about 25 to 30 minutes depending on what type of potato you're using. Do check on it once or twice while it's simmering to see if you need to add a little more water. The trick with this dish is getting the liquid just right since the zucchini and eggplant will release more water as they cook, so just keep it in mind.

After the veggies are cooked, cut up some Parmesan cheese into 1 inch cubes and add them to the pot. You want the cheese to be melted just slightly, but remain intact.

It's now ready to serve - be sure to have some bread on the table to soak up all the extra sauce on your plate!

Grating Tomatoes

"What? Grate a tomato?" Yes folks, throw out your gooey canned tomato paste and grab a big juicy tomato, we're about to make some fresh tomato sauce!

For years I wondered how those fine-dining restaurants could produce such a light, 'real tomato-tasting' sauce in some of their dishes. I tried everything from finely dicing them to tossing them in the blender. Then I moved to Greece and discovered their age-old tomato grating technique. I wondered how on earth this never caught on in the rest of the world and feel I must deliver this message to the masses! I now firmly believe that all red sauces should be made fresh, no excuses, because it's just too dang easy - no boiling or broiling necessary.

To start, select the ripest tomato from the bunch as you want to extract as much juice as possible from the fruit. Next, slice the tomato in half and press the open side of one half against the wide-toothed side of a cheese grater, beginning to grate the tomato with a plate or dish underneath to catch the juice. As you can see from the pictures, all you are left with is the juice from the tomato in your dish, and the entire skin in your hand to toss out. Simple as that.



Add a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and this can be used as a base in anything from pasta to chicken to toasted bread!