The Secret Recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana

I’ve just got to share another awesome recipe from my buddy, Diana…the sweetest eggplant you’ll ever eat!

Let’s get started…

Ingredients

• 3 Large Eggplant
• 4 Large Eggs
• Splash of Whole Milk
• Handfuls of Locatelli™ Pecorino Grated Cheese
• Progresso™ Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Homemade Italian Sauce (Don’t you dare use canned sauce.  Use the recipe here).
• Shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese
• Vegetable Oil for frying

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel Eggplant.  Slice Eggplant lengthwise.

Add Milk to Eggs.  Set aside Egg mixture.

Mix 1 handful of grated cheese, a few handfuls of bread crumbs, salt and pepper together.

Dip Eggplant in Egg mixture.

NOW PAY ATTENTION.

POUND Eggplant while covering both sides in Bread Crumb mixture.  This rids Eggplant of bitterness.

Fry Eggplant in Vegetable Oil.

Place finished Eggplant on dish covered with paper towels between each layer (to absorb excess olive oil).

Now layer everything in a disposable aluminum tray (less clean-up!). Layer starting from the bottom (of course):

Now put it in the oven for 30 minutes or until top layer of mozzarella is completely melted.

Remove from oven and let sit on counter at least 3 hours.  This helps it all firm up.  Otherwise it’s too gooey.

Note:  Tomato Sauce Recipe can be found HERE.

Choosing the Right Ingredients

When selecting Eggplant, choose large firm ripe ones.  Use regular Eggplant, not Italian Eggplant.

Don’t skimp on cheese.  Use Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese.  People are serious about the types of cheeses we use here in NYC.  There’s no excuse…just order it online either here or here.   It has a brown rind with the Locatelli name on it.  Buy it ungrated if not purchased locally and grate it yourself.

Hopefully, you have access to Fresh Mozzarella at your local Italian specialty store or grocer.  You can cut slices of it or shred it.  I prefer it shredded as it melts quicker.  If you’re lucky, you can buy it already shredded locally.  If not, you can buy it on the Internet.  If you can’t you can use Polly-O Whole Milk Mozzarella (about 2 16 ounces packages) and shred it yourself.

Enjoy!

The Secret Recipe for Best Ever Italian Meatballs

I’ve tasted so many different meatballs growing up here in NYC.  Some are too spicy while others are made with too much bread and/or breadcrumbs.

My friend, Diana (aka Diana Bagels), spent an afternoon teaching me how to make the best meatballs I’ve ever tasted.  And how could I not share the recipe with all my friends?

So let’s get started…

Ingredients

• 10 cloves of Fresh Garlic chopped
• 10 Fresh Basil Leaves chopped
• 10 Fresh Parsley Leaves chopped (Italian flat leaf variety)
• 2 Handfuls Locatelli™ Pecorino Romano cheese grated
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 pounds Ground Beef (Chuck)
• 1 pound Ground Sirloin
• 5 Fresh Oregano Leaves chopped
• 2 large Eggs
• 6 slices White Bread
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• Fresh Breadcrumbs* (2 handfuls)
• Olive Oil for frying

In a big mixing bowl, soak white bread in milk to moisten.

Drain milk.

Add all other ingredients.

Mix well with hands.  Oh, the gooey mess…LOL!

Form big meatballs.  If you make the meatballs too small, they will fall apart in your sauce.

In a skillet, fry all sides of meatballs in Olive Oil over a medium flame.

Add 1/2 of them to the Italian Tomato Sauce recipe here.  We eat the other 1/2 of the meatballs while we’re cooking the sauce!

 

* Making fresh Bread Crumbs is easy peasy.  Just take day old Semolina Italian bread and put it in the food processor or blender until it’s fine.

Enjoy!

The Secret Recipe to the Best Italian Gravy (Tomato Sauce)

First let me say, I’m an Irish gal married to an Italian guy.  My mother never taught me how to make tomato sauce, so I’ve had to learn from different strangers and friends over the years.

There are a million ways to make Italian Tomato Sauce.  I’ve tried so many different recipes.  Things changed when I tasted my friend, Diana’s (Diana Bagels) sauce.  It was by far the best one I’ve ever had and think you will agree.  I’ve changed the recipe slightly to make it my own.

Now, before we get started, let’s talk about ingredients.  If you want great sauce, you need to use top-quality ingredients.  Everything needs to be fresh.  Let’s face it, canned chopped garlic isn’t the same as fresh garlic. Same goes for basil.

Don’t be using Hunt’s or another cheap tomato puree.  Go for the good stuff.  If your local supermarket doesn’t have Tuttorusso, order it online, or substitute Progresso or another quality brand.

Now I realize Amore™ Italian Tomato Paste costs about $2.99 a tube. However, you only need 1/2 a tube and can refrigerate the other half.  Figure a regular can of tomato paste costs $1.29, but you can’t save the other half and end up throwing it in the trash.  Plus, the Amore is easily squeezed out of the tube.  No more tiny cans!

Another important ingredient is your grated cheese.  Here in NYC, we only use Locatelli™ Pecorino Romano Cheese.  We don’t even call it Romano cheese.  We just ask for Locatelli as if it’s the ONLY Romano cheese…LOL!  If you can’t find it locally, order it online.  It’s worth it!

And finally, let’s discuss meat.  This sauce is delicious because of the high-quality meats that are cooked for hours in the sauce.  It’s what gives it such a great taste.  Don’t settle for supermarket pre-cut meats.  Instead, go to a real butcher and splurge.

If you want, you can make your own braciole or get it already prepared from your local butcher.

Now let’s get started…

Ingredients

• Fresh Garlic peeled and chopped (2 handfuls)
• 1 White Onion diced
• 6 cans Tuttorusso™ Tomato Puree
• 1/2 tube Amore™ Italian Tomato Paste (or 1/2 can of other paste)
• Locatelli™ Pecorino Romano Cheese grated (3 handfuls)
• Red Wine (drinking wine, not the cheap cooking kind)
• Sugar (1/2 handful)
• Pinch of Dried Oregano
• 10 Fresh Basil Leaves chopped
• Water
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Fried Meat (meatballs*, Italian sausage, Beef Braciole, steak, etc.)

* Meatball recipe is HERE.

In a 8 quart stock pot, add enough Olive Oil to lightly coat bottom of pan.

Add fresh Garlic and Onion.  Heat over a high flame until soft.

STIR.

Add a splash or two of Red Wine.  Lower flame on stove to medium.

STIR.

Add Tomato Puree.  Rinse 1 Puree can with a 1/2 can of Water to remove excess Puree from can.  Poor into next Puree can and so on until the 6th can is full.  Now add remaining Puree/Water mixture to stock pot.  By doing this you get all the tomato puree and waste none.

STIR.

Add Grated Cheese.

STIR.

Add Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Basil, Oregano and Tomato Paste.

STIR.

Bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a low to medium flame.

STIR.

Add lots of Fried Meat including meatballs, Italian sweet and hot sausage, braciole and steak.

STIR.

Do not cover.

Cook for at least 3 hours stirring every 20 minutes to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the stock pot.  Depending on how thick you want your tomato sauce, you can cook it for up to 5 hours.

Now that  you’ve made fantastic tomato sauce, why not make some Eggplant Parmigiana?  The recipe is HERE!

Enjoy!