Egg Plant Parmesan

eggplant_parmesan_dinnerEggplant anyone?

Why do we call it eggplant when this vegetable doesn’t even look or taste like it came from a chicken? So I decided to look up the history of eggplant on Wikapedia and here’s what I got:

“The popular name “eggplant” is used in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. It derives from the fruits of some 18th-century European cultivars which were yellow or white and resembled goose or hen’s eggs.[7]

In Indian, South African, Malaysian and Singaporean English, the fruit is called brinjal, being derived directly from the Portuguese beringela. A less common British English word is melongene, which is also from French (derived) from Italian melanzana from Greek μελιτζάνα. In the Caribbean Trinidad, it also goes by meloongen from melongene.

Because of the plant’s relationship with the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, the fruit was at one time believed to be extremely poisonous. The flowers and leaves, though, can be poisonous if consumed in large quantities, due to the presence of solanine.[8]

 

I guess you can say that nobody really knows why a purple, oversized, egg-shaped melon that grows on a vine-like plant has adopted the word “Egg” in it’s name. However, let me show you how you can make this easy dish at home and please both the “Non-Meat” eater and the Cheese Lover and just forget about the eggplant history….

 

Ingredients: Feeds a Family of 4 +plus

6 to 8 oz. of Pasta Sauce ( Ragu or Prego)

(1) Large Purple Eggplant, Sliced Vertically, (long-ways) 6 to 8 slices

1- Tablespoon of McCormick Italian Seasoning

1- Tablespoon of Lawry’s Garlic Salt

(1) – 8oz. Package of Mozzarella Cheese

(1) – 15oz. Tub of Ricotta Cheese

Cooking Tools: Cutting Knife, Cutting Board, Square Baking Pan, Oven, Dry Fry Pan

Preheat Oven: 390 Degrees

 

Cooking Steps:  Slice the Eggplant

Hold the eggplant upright and slice down with knife to create a “Long Slice” of eggplant. With a large eggplant, you should be able to create 6 to 8 slices. After slicing, set the eggplant aside and heat up a “dry” fry pan on medium to high heat. Butter both sides of the eggplant and place on dry skillet and allow each slice to “brown”. After completing the browning of all slices, set the eggplant aside in a pan and start with the next cooking step.

Pre-heat oven to 390 Degrees

Next, Make your pasta sauce or use one of the pre-made pasta sauces like Ragu or Prego. Like all Cook Like a Dad Recipes, I want my readers to have the flexibility of buying “ready made” or making their own pasta sauce. As you can see on this video, I am showing you how to make “healthy sauce” that allows you to hide additional vegetables into your regular pasta sauce without compromising taste. Making healthy pasta sauce saves you the time and struggles of getting your kids to eat more vegetables… only you have to know the secret!

The next step is to take a Square Baking Pan and pour the base of the pan with your sauce. Make sure to cover the entire base of the pan with the sauce. Take a spoon or butter knife and spread a base of Ricotta Cheese on one side of the eggplant. Roll the eggplant leaving the Ricotta Cheese on the inside. Place rolled eggplant in the pasta sauce base pan and repeat the process until all eggplant is rolled and placed in the pan with cheese. Top off entire pan of eggplant with the rest of your pasta sauce and shredded Mozzarella Cheese.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.

 
 

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