Eggplant Parma Extraordinaire!

Eggplant...Salted? Breaded? Floured? Naked? 

We've tried many renditions, such a family fave. Parm has to be salty sweet and deliciously olive oily. 

We've discovered that none are as fabulous as this one. 

It has that specific NYC salty flavour with sweet eggplant layers. The earlier recipe in this blog is also great, but this one beats it.

For a 9" by 13", medium size Pyrex or baking dish: Peel off the bitter skin and THINLY slice 2 or 3 smaller but fat eggplants. As a guideline, each layer needs about 5 slices and you will need 3 layers.

Nevermind salting the eggplant!!  Simply fry the eggplant in olive oil until brown on both sides. C'est tout! Place slices in a plate with paper towel to absorb any excess oil and SALT at this point. Keep going until you have lots. 

It will be pure and sweet. 

For the sauce, Mutti concassé tomotaoes are best. For this and everything.

First, slice, not chop, many cloves of garlic, like 6 to 8, or more. Sautée garlic until golden, starting in lots of cold olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Goes fast so watch it. Add a few chili flakes and basil, then a can of Mutti tomatoes.  This way you have flavored the sauce with enough punch but it's not overpowering. Let this sauce marry for a while on low heat. 

You will need fresh mozz cheese. 2 to 3 medium size balls, sliced thinly. 

Layer sauce, eggplant and spaced out mozz slices until you've got 3 layers. If you have fresh basil add to each layer. 

For the topping, mix some panko with garlic salt, melted butter, paprika, salt and pepper. Add fresh chopped parsley. Sprinkle thisnon top of the parm dish.

Cook for about 30-40 min at 350F. 

This dish is a dream...our family fave! Serve with crusty baguette and lots of butter!

Enjoy...

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Lemony Love Preserved Lemons

This is a luxurious condiment with myriad uses that literally perk up the palate, and almost any dish.  The "sexual" energy of the origin story of this delectable treat will be posted at another time...

The method used is based on the photo in this post. Simple recipe but the process is the most important part. (The first time I made this, I had to throw out the jar of lemons because I didn't do things property.)  

Find the best medium sized lemons you can and wash them very well. Once they are preserved, you will be using the entire lemon, rind and pulp...in practically everything!

Get a wide and fairly deep jar, one with a rubber gasket and sterilize it in boiling water. 

Hold the lemon on its head and cut into it deeply but don't cut it in half, leave the bottom attached. Then turn, and do this again so now you have a lemon cut into quarters but attached at the bottom. Repeat with all of the lemons you will use. My jar used 3 lemons.

In a small bowl, mix equal parts kosher salt and granulated white sugar. About 3/4 cup to a cup of each. Place the lemons in a medium sized bowl and "stuff" them with as much of the mixture as you can, pushing it deep into the quartered lemons. Now you will leave the lemons uncovered in the fridge for about 24 hours. After this time, the bowl will have lots of liquid which you will need. 

Now, push the lemons down into the jar as tightly as they will fit in any way. Drop in a bay leaf and a few pepper corns. Push them down again and add the liquid from the bowl. THE KEY: the lemons MUST be completely covered with lemon juice, over fill if need be.  I was lazy about juicing more lemons so I bought a jar of fresh lemon juice, (not concentrate!!) which did the trick with no effort.  

Close your jar tightly and put it in the fridge...go about your life for 4 weeks until they are ready to use. 

CAUTION: if the lemons and their juice look murky at anytime, throw them out. This will mean that they weren't covered in lemon juice and mold is growing in the jar. No Good!

The juice should look fairly clear. Sometimes pulp collects at the bottom of the jar which is normal.

These lemons add a punch of flavour to any dish. Sometimes they just melt into whatever you are making: soups, salad dressings, hummus, braises, pasta sauces, tagines, roasts etc. Everywhere!

These preserves are pungent so rinse a piece before you use if you want a smoother flavour.  

Try them...they are addictive!

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Classic French Onion Soup- Ou La La!

If you are low on patience, DON'T make this soup.  If you are high on love...make it!

A great classic Soupe à l'onion takes time, and more patience than you might think.  Getting the onions to the right caramelization point is a labour of love unto itself.  For this process, about an hour is probably a good reference for the time frame. When you think they are ready, let them cook for another 5-10 minutes. Need to be dark brown with a dark fond (caramalized bottom of the pan) for the flavour bomb. The fond will melt into the liquid once added. 

Slow and low on the glow...

My soup is based on Julia Child's original recipe, and that's what makes it so good!

With about 6 large onions, I like the big sweaty yellow ones. I am often tempted to use Vidalia onions, so gorgeous but almost too sweet for this soup. Cut the onions in half and slice thinly.

In a large heavy pot (or cast iron bottom type pot) saute the onions in a bit of olive oil. Start the heat on medium high to get things going and then bring it down to low for the rest of the cooking time. Add 1 smashed clove of garlic and a pinch of salt (no sugar please, onions sweet enough) to the pot, this helps with getting the dark brown caramel you need for a great soup.  No burning allowed!!

Learned a trick: add a bit of water to the onions at the beginning and put a lid on the pot. Let them sweat down for a few minutes. Then remove the lid and continue. Somehow the steaming decreases the caramalization time...it works! 

Once the onions are soft and dark toffee coloured, add a heaping tablespoon of flour and mix.  Then add a couple of tablespoons of sherry and about 1.5 cups of white wine. This broth with look a bit creamy...a touch of worstershire sauce adds depth. 

To this, add a combination of chicken and beef broth, about 4 litres of liquid total.

Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme and 1 bay leaf, and let simmer on low heat for a while.

To serve, you need oven proof bowls.  Pour soup about 3/4 of the way, and then add crusty, day old or baguette bread 

( broil it first if fresh so crispy.) Top with a combo of gruyere and strong, old cheddar cheese...LOTS!!

Place the bowls on a cookie sheet so easy to handle a few at a time. Broil for a few minutes to melt until golden, and serve.

Be careful not to burn your hands and mouth.... letting the soup cool for a few minutes is probably a good idea!!

C'est delicieux!

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