Cheesy Eggplant Florentine Melanzane Fiorentina Recipes

CHEESY EGGPLANT FLORENTINE (MELANZANE FIORENTINA)

Steps:

• Slice the eggplant 1/2´´ thick.
• Generously salt both sides of the eggplant slices and arrange them on several layers of paper towels.
• Place a pastry board over them, weighted with large cans of juice or fruit, for 1 hour.
• Then thoroughly rinse the eggplant under cold running water and drain on paper towels.
• Pat completely dry.
• Dust the eggplant with flour and saute the slices in hot oil over high heat until brown.
• Layer the eggplant in an oiled 13´´ x 9´´ baking pan with the sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil.
• There will be 3 layers.
• Reserve some of the cheese for a topping.
• Bake in a preheated 450° oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the dish is bubbly and the cheese slightly browned.

CHEESY CHICKEN FLORENTINE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place chicken breasts on a parchment-line baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until just light pink, 15 to 20 minutes; they will not be fully cooked.
• While the chicken is cooking, melt 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted. Add heavy cream, condensed soup, oregano, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Arrange spinach over the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish. Pour about 1 1/2 cups sauce over the spinach, then arrange chicken breasts over top. Cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
• Return to the oven and bake until bubbly and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

CANNELLONI FIORENTINA

Steps:

• Combine ricotta, spinach, egg, 1/2 the parmesan and seasonings; mix well.
• Fill cannelloni tubes with this mixture.
• Spread 1/2 the pasta sauce in a baking pan and arrange stuffed cannelloni in single layer over it Cover the cannelloni with the remaining sauce, making sure to cover all pasta Sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
• Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH CHEESE AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Place eggplant in a large pot filled with water; bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until tender.
• Drain eggplant and allow to cool enough to be handled.
• Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet or pan with foil.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat; saute the tomatoes, garlic and onion until the onion is golden (about 5 minutes).
• Cut cooled eggplant in half lengthwise and remove the flesh.
• Chop up the flesh and add it to the pan with the onion-garlic-tomato mixture.
• Stir in the cheese, salt pepper, cinnamon, parsley, and oregano and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Remove mixture from heat; place eggplant shells on baking sheet and fill with this mixture.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and the eggplant starts to brown.
• Remove from the oven; top with hot tomato or pasta sauce and cheese.

CHEESY EGGPLANT-CRUSTED PIZZA

Steps:

• Place pizza stone in oven. Preheat oven to 425°F (do not remove pizza stone while oven preheats).
• Place eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
• Sprinkle eggplant evenly with salt. Let stand 15 minutes.
• Pat eggplant slices dry, and arrange in an overlapping circular pattern on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Sprinkle eggplant evenly with 1 cup of the Parmesan, making sure Parmesan fills any space between slices.
• Transfer eggplant slices on parchment to preheated pizza stone.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 15 minutes.
• Stir together oil and garlic in a small bowl; set aside.
• Carefully slide eggplant crust on parchment off pizza stone onto baking sheet.
• Place a second baking sheet on eggplant crust, and invert, releasing eggplant crust from parchment.
• Sprinkle eggplant crust evenly with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan, making sure Parmesan fills any space between slices.
• Return eggplant crust to parchment, and place on pizza stone.
• Bake at 425°F until golden and slightly crispy, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove crust from oven, and increase oven temperature to 450°F.
• Lightly brush crust evenly with garlic oil.
• Top evenly with mozzarella and feta.
• Dollop teaspoonfuls of ricotta over pizza.
• Sprinkle pizza evenly with red pepper.
• Bake at 450°F until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Top evenly with basil leaves.

ROTOLO ALLA FIORENTINA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375o. In a large skillet, melt butter and cook onion and mushrooms over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid from mushrooms cooks off. Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients.
• EXCEPT lasagna and sauce. Spread ½ cup vegetable cheese over each lasagna noodle, roll to enclose filling; set aside.
• In 13 X 9-inch baking dish, spread ½ cup Tomato sauce. Arrange stuffed lasagna rolls seam side down in dish, cover and bake 30 minutes or until bubbling.
• To serve prep plate with some sauce, cut in half and stand on cut end.
• Serve with remaining Tomato sauce, heated. Garnish with some chopped spinach.

BAKED EGGPLANT WITH CHEESE

Steps:

• Put the eggplant slices in a colander, salt well and leave for at least half an hour until they sweat, to remove the bitterness. It will also prevent them from absorbing too much oil while cooking.
• Rinse with cold water, dry with kitchen paper and lay on a baking tray.
• Brush the slices on both sides with the olive oil and grill on the highest shelf in the oven for 3-4 minutes on each side.
• Remove and set aside.
• Heat the onion and garlic in 2-3 tablespoons of water in a large frying pan, add the tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of oil and stir.
• Add the oregano and thyme, season and simmer (at 3 on a scale of 1-9 or at 1 on a scale of 1-3) for about six minutes or until the sauce thickens a little.
• Remove from the hob and add the fresh herbs (parsley, basil).
• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Lightly oil a deep baking dish (about 30x22 cm), add a layer of eggplant and sprinkle with half the cheese.
• Then add a layer of sauce, continue with the rest of the eggplant slices and then the rest of the cheese.
• Add the rest of the sauce and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.