Festivals Eggplant N Rice Stacks Recipes

EGGPLANT PARMESAN STACKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly oil a baking sheet or jellyroll pan. Mix Panko with basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and spread onto a plate. Pour milk into a shallow bowl. Dip each eggplant slice into milk and turn to coat. Shake off excess. Press an eggplant slice down into the breadcrumbs. Flip and press the other side in to help the crumbs adhere. Arrange breaded eggplant on lightly oiled baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the slices. Sprinkle eggplant slices with a little salt (1 teaspoon or so) and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Flip slices and bake for another 15 minutes until the eggplant is softened and lightly browned in spots. Remove tray from oven and let eggplant cool for a few minutes so you can handle it. (leave oven set at 375ºF)
• While the eggplant is baking, make the sauce: heat olive oil in a large cooking pot or dutch oven oven medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for about 8 minutes until very soft and starting to brown. Stir in dried basil, salt, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and honey. Cook sauce at a simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Add minced garlic (if using) and simmer 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat. The sauce will be thick.
• Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper. Divide the total number of eggplant slices by 3 and that's how many stacks you'll have. You should have enough for 8-9 stacks. Arrange the 8 (or 9) largest eggplant rounds on the prepared parchment-line pan. Top each round with two tablespoon of tomato sauce, a teaspoon of parmesan, 2 tablespoons of mozzarella, and a sprinkle of slivered basil (don't add basil to the top of the stacks) Repeat with two more layers, using the larger slices for the middle layer and the smaller ones for the top. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot.
• Garnish each stack with a sprinkle of slivered basil.

STEVE'S EGGPLANT STACK

Steps:

• Salt the eggplant on each side and let it drain in a colander for about 30 minutes to get the bitterness out. Place something heavy, like a frying pan, on top to get the moisture out.
• In a medium bowl, place the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. In a second medium bowl, add the eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, half of the parsley and some salt and pepper, and whisk together. In a third medium bowl, add the breadcrumbs and the remaining parsley and toss together. Coat the eggplant slices in the flour, then in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant slices until they're crisp and golden brown. Don't crowd the pan. Let them drain on a paper towel to get excess oil off.
• Top 1 slice of eggplant with 1 slice of tomato, and then season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add 3 basil leaves, top with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a slice of mozzarella. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.
• In a large bowl, toss the arugula with some salt, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil. Add to the top of the stacks and add more Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Season with salt and pepper.

CRISPY EGGPLANT PARMESAN STACKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Sprinkle both sides of eggplant rounds generously with salt; place on baking sheet for 15 minutes to draw out moisture. Use paper towels to blot moisture from each side of the eggplant slices. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl. Place panko bread crumbs in a second bowl. Dip each side of the eggplant slices in the whisked eggs, then press into the panko crumbs to coat each side. Place slices on a cooling rack on a baking sheet.
• Spray the tops of eggplant generously with cooking spray. Bake 8 minutes in preheated oven. Turn each slice, and spray the other side with cooking spray. Bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees (175 degrees C).
• To make the stacks: Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a large slice of eggplant on the parchment. Top with a spoonful of Ragu® Old World Style® Traditional Sauce and a slice of mozzarella. Place another slice of eggplant on the first; repeat the layering process until you have about 5 or 6 slices in a stack. Top with a generous layer of parmesan cheese.
• Bake stacks until the cheese has melted, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Serve warm.

FESTIVALS EGGPLANT-N-RICE STACKS

Steps:

• For eggplant: Peel eggplant and slice into 8 (1/4-inch thick) medallions. Place sliced eggplant into a small bowl, add cold water and salt and soak for 10 minutes. Drain and dry on a paper towel. Combine egg and milk to make an egg wash. Combine flour and Creole seasoning in a shallow bowl. Dip eggplant in egg wash and then dredge in seasoned flour. In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat. Cook eggplant until golden brown and tender. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.
• For Rice Patties: In a medium bowl add 2 cups of cooked rice, egg, garlic salt, red pepper, onion tops, and cheese. Mix well. Divide rice mixture into 4 portions and form patties. In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat. Cook rice patties until browned on each side and cheese begins to melt. Drain and set aside.
• For sauce: In a large skillet, melt 1/4 cup of butter, add onions, and cook until tender. Whisk in flour, Creole seasoning, garlic, and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Add water, half-and-half, and whisk to mix well. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese. Set aside.
• Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In another large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, and then saute shrimp until no longer pink. Pour in the cream sauce, fold in crab meat, and heat thoroughly.
• To serve, make a bed of rice using 1/4 cup of remaining rice, for each serving. Place an eggplant medallion on top of the rice bed, drizzle with sauce, top with a rice patty, drizzle with a little more sauce, and then top with another eggplant medallion. You should have 4 stacks; each will have 2 eggplant medallions and 1 rice patty. Pour remaining sauce over stacks and sprinkle with chopped onion tops.

FESTIVALS

Steps:

• In a medium stockpot, heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees F for frying.
• In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and sugar. Work butter into dry mixture until well incorporated.
• Add extracts and milk together. Work milk mixture into butter mixture to form a stiff batter. Form into ball. Portion into finger size hushpuppies. Deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown. Place festivals on paper toweling to absorb excess oil. Serve.

CORN CREPES AND LOBSTER STACK

Steps:

• Make the Cornmeal Crepes and the Poblano Chile Cream.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In an ovenproof baking dish large enough to hold 4 crepes, side by side without touching, place the first 4 crepes. Top each crepe with 1/4 cup of the cooked lobster. Top the lobster with 1/4 cup of the grated cheese. Sprinkle the cheese with 1 teaspoon of the pine nuts and 1 teaspoon of the cilantro. Repeat layering 4 crepes, 1/4 cup lobster, 1/4 cup cheese, 1 teaspoon pine nuts, and 1 teaspoon cilantro and finally top with the last 4 crepes. You should have 4 stacks.
• Pour the Poblano Chile Cream over all the stacks.
• Bake for about 15 minutes. Transfer each stack to a plate, and serve immediately, garnished with lime.
• In a blender, place the chiles and cilantro. Add the eggs, water, milk, salt, baking powder, cornmeal, flour, sugar, and oil. Blend until very smooth. Let the batter rest at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Heat an 8 to 9-inch, well-seasoned crepe pan or small skillet over a medium heat. Coat with a little vegetable oil. When the pan is hot, pour in about 2 to 3 ounces of the crepe batter. Tilt the pan, rotating so the batter is evenly distributed. Cook until the crepe appears dry, then turn and cook on the other side. Repeat until all the batter is used. Store the crepes between sheets of wax paper until ready to use.
• In a blender, place the tomatillos and cilantro. Blend until chopped. Add the chiles, sour cream, chicken stock, oil, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Blend until smooth.
• Store refrigerated until ready to use.