Baked Eggplant Sicilian Style Recipes

PASTA ALLA NORMA RECIPE

Steps:

• Slice and Salt the Eggplant. Trim the eggplant and partially peel them in a striped pattern (zebra pattern). Slice them into ½ inch thick rounds. Season the eggplant slices with kosher salt on both sides and lay them flat for a few minutes (up to 30 minutes if you have the time). Wipe the eggplant dry and remove excess salt using a paper towel.
• Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Roast the eggplant. Brush the bottom of a large sheet pan (or two) with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices in the pans in one single layer (eggplant slices should not overlap, each should be comfortably touching the bottom of the sheet pan). Roast in the heated oven until deeply golden brown, anywhere from 35 to 40 minutes, turning over mid-way through.
• Make the Sauce. Meanwhile, get going on the sauce. In a large deep pan, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, lower the heat and cook, tossing regularly, until the garlic gains a little bit of color. Add the tomatoes (with their juices), oregano and a good pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a quick boil, then lower the heat and let simmer briefly.
• When ready, add the roasted eggplant to sauce. Let simmer while you cook the pasta.
• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions (mine took about 11 minutes). Drain and combine the pasta with the eggplant and sauce (if needed, add a little bit of the pasta water and toss until the pasta is well-coated). Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Add chopped parsley and grated ricotta salata cheese to finish.

BAKED EGGPLANT, SICILIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Put the eggplant slices on a baking sheet, sprinkle with the 1-2 tablespoons salt and let stand for 1 hour. Pat slices dry with a paper towel. Dip slices into egg, then cover completely with bread crumbs. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet and fry eggplant until golden on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium size skillet, over medium heat. add the garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, uncovered, for 7-8 minutes remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Spread about 3/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, cover with the eggplant and top with the mozzarella. Continue this layering until all ingredients are used up finishing with sauce on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Serve warm or at room temperature.

EGGPLANT CAPONATA (SICILIAN VERSION)

Steps:

• Toss eggplant with salt and place in a colander set over a bowl. Let sit, about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add eggplant and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in celery mixture, tomatoes, olives, capers, tomato paste, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until caponata is thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Season caponata with vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.

STUFFED SICILIAN EGGPLANT RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Cut each eggplant in half. Once halved, carefully hollow out each eggplant by slicing the interior flesh of the eggplant into medium-sized cubes.
• Once cubed, use a spoon to gently remove each cube - then use the spoon to hollow out the remainder of the eggplant. (Tip: Ensure you hollow out the interior of each eggplant, without slicing off the top or bottom of the eggplant itself. You essentially want to make a boat out of your eggplant).
• Place the removed flesh of the eggplant into a food processor. Then, add each ingredient into the food processor with the removed eggplant flesh.
• Process all ingredients into a stuffing consistency, which generally requires about 5-8 medium/long pulses (make sure you still have texture: don't process into a paste).
• Add 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil to a cast-iron skillet or frying span. Heat on medium and add the stuffing from the food processor to the pan.
• Spoon the stuffing you've made in the food processor into the frying pan and saute on a medium-low flame for approximately 8-10 minutes. Once this is done cooking, allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Place your hollowed out eggplant onto a baking sheet that has been lightly greased with extra virgin olive oil. Brush the eggplant with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Once seasoned, spoon the finished stuffing into each eggplant, until full but not overflowing. Top each eggplant with shredded mozzarella and 2 tbsp of marinara sauce.
• Next, add 2 heaping tablespoons of chicken stock and 2 heaping tbsp of Pinot Grigio to the base of the pan, underneath each eggplant.
• Place into a 425 °F for 25-30 Minutes or until the eggplants have cooked down and develop a well-roasted skin.
• When nearly finished, place the eggplants under a low broiler for 10 minutes, until golden-brown and bubbly.
• Garnish with a little more fresh basil, parsley and grated Parmesan cheese and serve.
• Enjoy!