Food is powerful. Italian food most often has the biggest punch and lends to creating intense food memories.

I have a funny story about the power of this baked eggplant parmesan recipe. It almost got me married. A long time ago when I first moved to California, I had the biggest crush on someone who didn’t know at the time, he would have the same crush on me, eventually.

One night I invited him over for dinner and served this traditional baked eggplant parmesan recipe.  He brought a bottle of chateauneuf du pape, which for a 22 year old, was fairly sophisticated. Back then 22 year olds drank beer and tequila.

He would often remind me that had it not been for that eggplant parmesan, he might not have asked for a second date. Then again, I’m not so sure he wasn’t try to win me over with that wine!

That night I made traditional, breaded, fried eggplant parmesan, and made it many times throughout that three year relationship. I never married him, although he wanted to. I have a feeling eggplant parmesan still has a special meaning for him to this day. 

I continued to made this eggplant parmesan for years. Then I stopped making it, which is total shame, because this is one of best Italian comfort food dishes. It’s one of the dishes my relatives in Sicily made for us when we visited. It’s one of the dishes my Aunt Rita was known for, and I still have memories of making it with her.  To that, I’m bringing it back and including a healthier, low carb option. 

There are two ways to make this baked eggplant parmesan recipe.

I remember growing up and eating the breaded fried version. I also remember visiting relatives in Italy and eating the breadcrumb free, grain free, version.

Both are good. Both have their own taste profile. The choice is up to you.

The Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe Process

The best way to make both versions is to begin with salted sweated eggplant.

Use firm, fresh eggplant. Marcella Hazan, in her book, Ingredients, says to feel the eggplant. It should feel spongy. It should spring back to the touch, be glossy taut, completely smooth. It should feel light. If it’s heavy, it has too many seeds.

Lay out cloth or paper towels. Slice eggplant medium thickness. Salt liberally, place on paper towels. An hour turn over, and use more paper towels to get out the moisture. If you don’t do this, the eggplant could be bitter and absorb the oil you fry it in and become very greasy. This is an important step.

Traditional American Breaded Eggplant Parmesan

Once your eggplant is “fry” ready, dip it into beaten egg, and then Italian bread crumbs. You can vary this. You can use flour or gluten free flour. You can even use corn meal. The traditional way is to use Italian bread crumbs, but this is your eggplant. You could bake the eggplant, but I never do that. Frying is easier, and tastier in my opinion.

Traditional Italian Eggplant (Grain Free Version)

I discovered that eggplant and other vegetables like this fried cauliflower will yield to a bit of crispiness if you fry them in egg white. I imagine it’s the protein that does the job.

This is what my grain-free eggplant looked like.

I deep fried the eggplant after first dipping it into egg white wash. It will actually get slightly crispy like this cauliflower did in this recipe. The real key first is to make sure you heavily salt the eggplant and let it sweat out. I do this for a few hours. Some do it only for 30 minutes. You must do this or the eggplant will absorb all of your oil in minutes.

I used this tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella, but feel free to use any kind of mozzarella and also use some pecorino cheese or real parmesan, freshly grated.

When making this baked eggplant parmesan recipe, know that you can make it traditional with breadcrumbs and there is a gluten free bread crumb option. You can also go completely grain free.

Enjoy.

More Eggplant Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Eggplant Tomato Recipe

Eggplant Parmesan

Swordfish with Eggplant Sauce

Eggplant Crostini

Eggplant Bread Pudding

Eggplant Sausage Soup

Eggplant Benedict

Stuffed Eggplant

Spaghetti with Spicy Eggplant Sauce

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Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Eggplant parmesan, with a gluten free, grain free, paleo option.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants
• salt
• 4 eggs may use less
• 2 cups Italian Style Bread Crumbs order here
• or 2 cups gluten free Italian Bread Crumbs order here
• 4 cups tomato sauce recipe here
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese shredded
• olive oil coconut oil or avocado oil for frying
• 
  
• Optional Grain Free Eggplant

Grain Free Parmesan[

Instructions

• Slice eggplant. I like it medium thick, about 1/2 inch. You may choose thicker.
• Sweat the eggplant. Lay out on cloth or paper towels and salt heavily on both sides. Use more cloth or paper towels to absorb the liquid.
• Beat 2 eggs. You may not need all four so beat more as you need them.
• Add salt and pepper into eggs.
• Dip into egg, then breadcrumbs and fry eggplant over medium heat in oil of your choice until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Put tomato sauce in bottom of baking dish.
• Layer eggplant with sauce and mozzarella cheese. You can choose to make one layer, two layers or three layers.
• Bake until to layer is completely melted and slightly golden brown. Allow to rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Grain Free Eggplant Parmesan

• Sweat eggplant as above.
• Use egg white. Mix egg white with one tablespoon water.
• Season eggplant with salt and pepper.
• Dip into egg white.
• Fry in high heat oil for a few minutes each side.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Continue with directions above, starting with preheating oven to 400 degrees.

The post Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe with a Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan Option appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This is all dressed up food crack. One bite and you’re hooked, because it’s a food experience that wakes up your senses and brings a lot of satisfying texture. Anchovies, crushed red pepper, garlic, capers, kalamata olives and Italian parsley come together to create a spicy, sultry, fabulous dish.

While Ahi Tuna is usually prepared with Asian flavors, Ahi works very well with a Mediterranean profile because it’s mild of flavor,  yet meaty, bringing an incredible texture and balance to bigger, bolder flavors.  It has a lot of heat, salt, and acid. The anchovy sauce by itself could be a bit overwhelming, but put it with pasta and back it up with a hazelnut crusted Ahi Tuna and everything balances out just wonderfully.

Once prepped, you can literally make this dish in under 15 minutes, but this is not fast food.  This is dinner party food.  This is a dish your friends will talk about and come back for more.

I’ve been meaning to make this dish that’s been in my head for over four years, but it took All-Clad to make it happen. When I agreed to create a recipe in exchange for receiving a 10 inch frying pan,  I knew it was time.  It  takes this kind of pan to make the dish and it takes this kind of  dish to show off this pan.

Why All Clad

Part of the joy of writing a blog is to inspire people back into the kitchen. I am serious about my cookware.  I had already been a huge fan of All-Clad and for good reason. I have the 12 inch frying pan and it’s the secret to my perfectly seared golden scallops.  My good fortune is that the ten inch pan had already been on my wish list, so I was not agreeing to accept something I wasn’t willing to purchase.

Before I talk recipe, I want to tell you why an All-Clad pan is a must in every kitchen. Made in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania with American steel, All-Clad is crafted to conduct heat evenly with no hot spots.  Even at a low temperature, you can sear scallops to golden perfection or prepare a piece of Ahi Tuna in two minutes. It will be your go to pan for a quick sauté a toasting of nuts, caramelizing onions, making a wine reduction, finishing a pasta dish, or searing a steak and putting it into the oven to finish. This pan will most likely be the hardest worker in your kitchen, as long as you know how to cook with it. Many cooks think that to get that beautiful sear, you have to turn the heat up high, splash hot oil all over your kitchen and set off the smoke alarms. Not so with All-Clad.

How to Cook with All Clad Frying Pans

All-Clad suggests preheating a pan on low to medium heat for one to two minutes and testing the upper edge heat of the pan. If it is to hot, remove for a few minutes to cool down. In a moderately hot pan, pour in 2 to 3 teaspoons of cold oil, just enough to cover the pan.  You want to hear a sizzle, not a crackle. The food should temporarily stick to the pan and needs to be left alone until it is ready to turn easily. The sugars in the food are caramelizing and the food will lift when you have a nice sear. When finished cooking, allow the pan to cool before immersing in water. Keep your pan looking brand new by using Bar Keeper’s Friend. However, your pan will not need a lot of maintenance if you stick with low to medium low heat.

Making the Dish

I put this recipe together with the idea of showing the versatility of the pan. I was able to toast the bread cubes, sear the tuna, make the olive anchovy sauce and finish the pasta dish all in the ten inch pan, and I made enough for four people to eat a medium sized portion.

First I made the bread crumbs by melting a little butter into the pan and cutting bread into very small cubes. If you use panko bread crumbs as an option, you can toast the crumbs in under a minute.

Next I made the tuna, first by turning the pan on medium low, and allowing it to heat before I put in the olive oil as suggested by All-clad. Once the tuna was made, and set aside, I used the pan to make the olive anchovy sauce, by melting in the anchovies, adding the crushed red pepper, parsley, chopped olives and capers, and garlic. The best part is the finish. Once the pasta is almost finished, it is drained (never rinsed) and tossed in the sauce to finish cooking, while maintaining a low heat.

Cooking Notes

• You could make the pasta without the tuna or you could substitute the tuna with seared scallops. But, this is truly an exciting and fresh way to incorporate a piece of Ahi Tuna into a dish.
• I used homemade breadcrumbs. You could substitute toasted panko bread crumbs, but be sure to toast them first (using this pan).
• I made a homemade pasta, but linguini or spaghetti would also be good choices.

Note: All-Clad provided this pan for this post.

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Ahi Tuna with Tagliatelle in an Olive and Anchovy Sauce

An Italian take on Ahi Tuna, with a spicy kalamata olive and anchovy sauce, homemade bread crumbs.

Servings 4

Ingredients

• BREADCRUMBS
• 2 pieces stale bread
• 2 teaspoons butter
• AHI TUNA
• 1/4 cup crushed hazelnuts
• 1 pound Ahi Tuna
• finely ground sea salt freshly ground black pepper
• OLIVE ANCHOVY SAUCE
• 1/3 cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon for cooking fish
• 3 anchovies rinsed, patted dry
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
• 6 kalamata olives seeded, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 4 tablespoons Italian parsley finely chopped, divided saving 1 tablespoon for garnish
• 1/2 pound pasta see note for recommendations
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Instructions

• I used a 10 inch all-clad frying pan for breadcrumbs, tuna and sauce, cleaning each time in between.
• BREADCRUMBS
• Cut bread into small cubes. Heat pan on low. Add butter, and when melted, add in bread cubes and pan fry until golden brown. Set aside.
• AHI TUNA
• Brush tuna with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and pack on hazelnuts on top and bottom of tuna.
• Heat 10 inch frying pan on medium low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When oil is hot, add Ahi Tuna and sear one minute on each side. Set aside.
• Cook Pasta: Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions, short of 1 minute. Drain.
• OLIVE ANCHOVY SAUCE
• Heat 10 inch frying pan. Add 1/3 cup olive oil. When oil is hot, add anchovies and break up with wooden spoon, until they melt into the oil.
• Add in crushed pepper, capers, kalamata olives. Cook for one minute. Add in garlic, parsley. Add tuna to pan and turn over once just to get the flavors. Remove tuna to a platter.
• Add drained pasta to olive oil anchovy sauce and finish cooking on low heat for a minute until pasta is cooked.
• Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Put pasta on a serving platter. Toss with 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, crumbling some of the cubes with your hands. Top with tuna.
• Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

For the pasta, you can use linguini, tagliatelle or a thick spaghetti. This will serve 4 medium portions or 2 large portions.

The post Hazelnut Crusted Ahi Tuna with Tagliatelle in Olive Anchovy Sauce appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

When making oysters, I immediately went to this website to refresh myself with the list. For those who are not sure what sustainable means, it’s quite simple.

Some seafood are over fished, and this upsets the oceanic atmosphere and eco system. This can happen when a fish such as orange roughy becomes very popular at market and because it has a long growth process. it has become over fished and its existence threatened, thus the oceanic atmosphere is affected. Seafood is considered sustainable when it does not harm the ocean. However, there is a list of seafood and fish that is considered “super green,” which means it’s not only good for the ocean, it’s super good for you.

What is Sustainable Seafood?

According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, the super green list includes seafood that meets the following three criteria:

• Low Levels of contaminants
• The daily minimum of omega 3s
• Classified as a Seafood Watch “Best Choice”

The seafoods that met these criteria included, fresh water coho salmon farmed in tank systems from the U.S., farmed oysters, wild-caught Pacific sardines and wild caught salmon from Alaska.

I eat a lot of salmon, but, the super green seafood that caught my eye was farmed oysters. The only oysters I’ve ever really liked are Oysters Rockefeller. The original recipe is still a secret and probably made with parsley and chervil, but the imitations found in many fine restaurants typically use spinach, perod or sambuca, heavy cream and cheese. Oysters Rockefeller was created in New Orleans over a hundred years ago and was named Rockefeller, after one of the wealthiest men of the day, because it was so rich.

I have been eating food with extra fitness in mind this year, so this is not Oysters Rockefeller. It is inspired by the dish, but much more fitting to my life style at least for now. I do intend to bring you the full-fat version one day in the future.

I put the oysters on a bed of salt in a cast iron pan to bake.

How to Store Oysters

Don’t plan on keeping oysters longer than the day you purchase them or use within 24 hours. Take them home on ice. Scrub them clean (remove beard) under cold water. Store them back in fridge with with cupped side on bottom, flat side on top. You can stack them, and place a damp towel over them. Don’t put them in bucket of water. This will kill them. You need your oysters to stay alive until you cook them.

How to Shuck Oysters

Many people shy away from oysters because shucking seems daunting. But, after I watched this video here, I can now say I am a shucking pro and if you follow this method, it’s as simple as 1-2-3. Since then, I went to an oyster class and they gave us a cool shucking tool, and made us shuck our own.

After cleaning shells, put back in fridge for an hour so oysters rest. Otherwise they will be very tense and shucking will be difficult.

1. Wear gloves (I use garden gloves) and use a shucking knife.
2. Roll up a towel so the oyster can lay against it in a near vertical position with hinge at top.
3. While holding the side of oyster opposite the hinge, insert knife into hinge and simply pry open. The idea is to unhinge, not to slide the knife around the oyster.

I was able to shuck six oysters in about a minute with no chance of cutting myself. That was half the battle to making this easy, nutrition filled, spinach tiger “fitter” version of baked oysters.

Get the Oysters Rockefeller Recipe here

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Green Choice Sustainable Seafood: Baked Oysters, Not Quite Rockefeller and Super Easy Shucking!

Baked Oysters with Spinach and bread crumbs

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 22 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 6 oysters scrubbed under cold water, beard removed
• olive oil enough to cover pan
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 2 shallot diced (about two tablespoons)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• fresh thyme
• lemon juice
• 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves or 1 cup spinach
• panko breadcrumbs enough to cover each oyster
• hot sauce to taste

Instructions

• Put olive oil in pan, add shallot and cook just until translucent.
• Add wine, lemon juice.
• Add spinach, salt and pepper and fresh thyme. If you are using fresh baby spinach leaves, just barely cook. OPTIONALLY, you might want to add some hot sauce to mixture now To maintain bright green color, put in ice bath to cool.
• Shuck oysters. Remember when purchasing oysters, keep them cold in fridge until use, but buy them the same day you are going to eat them. Don’t take any oysters home that are open and don’t immediately close when tapped. Use a shucking knife. Once open, do not pour out liquor (the natural juice of oyster).
• Arrange oysters in baking pan.
• I used a cast iron pan with course kosher salt, so oysters would stay in place Add a drop of hot sauce to oyster.
• Spoon spinach (abut 1 tablespoon) to cover oyster and top with bread crumbs. Bake in hot oven at 450 for 4 to 6 minutes.
• Broil for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Serve with optional hot sauce.

The post Baked Oysters Spinach and Panko Breadcrumbs, and How to Shuck Oysters appeared first on Spinach Tiger.