Italian Stuffed Eggplant With Ground Veal Recipes

ITALIAN-STYLE STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Using a spoon and/or paring knife, scoop out the eggplant flesh, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shell. Set the flesh aside.
• Place the eggplant shells on a baking sheet. Brush 1 tablespoon of the oil over the shells. Bake 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop the eggplant flesh. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped eggplant, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt; cook and stir 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Fill the eggplant shells with the tomato mixture. Spoon mounds of ricotta over each filled eggplant shell. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
• Bake about 15 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with basil.

EGGPLANT ROLLATINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 sheet pans with foil. Spray with cooking spray and lay eggplant slices in a single layer on the pans.
• Sprinkle kosher salt onto the eggplant to taste and rest for 10 minutes.
• Pat the eggplant slices with a dry paper towel to absorb any moisture. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste, spray with cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes.
• While the eggplant slices bake, heat a large saute pan over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray.
• Add onions and garlic to the pan and saute stirring often for around 3 minutes to soften.
• Add ground veal to the pan and break up with a wooden spoon.
• Saute until brown, around 6-7 minutes stirring often. Drain any excess grease.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and add marinara sauce.
• Once the sauce begins bubbling reduce heat to low and hold at the lower temperature until you're ready to use the sauce.
• In a large mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, black pepper, dried parsley, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and the egg and stir well until fully combined.
• Assembling the rollatini
• Once the eggplant is out of the oven, raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees and allow the eggplant to cool for 5 minutes.
• While the eggplant cools, spread 1-2 ladles of sauce in a thin even layer in the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan.
• Divide cheese between each eggplant slice, placing around 2 Tablespoons on the wider side of the slice.
• Roll the eggplant slices starting on the cheese side and carefully place them into the prepared 9" x 13" pan, lining them in on each side of the pan seam side down.
• When the pan is full, ladle remaining sauce evenly over the rollatini.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
• Top with remaining Romano and mozzarella cheeses and return to the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Serve immediately.

STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH VEAL AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Halve eggplants lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh leaving the shells 1/8-inch thick. Salt the shells and invert to drain over paper towels for 30 minutes. Salt the flesh and drain it in a strainer.
• Defrost the spinach in a microwave, squeeze out all of the water and separate it with fingertips. Put the spinach in a mixing bowl.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat with extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan. Add the meat, sage and salt and pepper, to taste. Lightly brown the meat, then stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, Add the meat mixture to the mixing bowl.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a sauce pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, cook for 1 minute, then whisk in milk and bring the mixture to a bubble. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste. Cool for a few minutes, then add it to the meat and spinach. Pat the salted flesh of the eggplant dry and finely chop, then stir it into meat mixture along with an egg and about 1/2 cup cheese.
• Tear the bread, add it to a food processor and pulse-grind into fresh crumbs. Finely chop the parsley leaves and stir it into the bread crumbs.
• Pat the eggplant shells dry and drizzle a baking dish with extra-virgin olive oil. Arrange the eggplant shells in the dish and mound the filling into them. Top with bread crumbs and a little more cheese, dot with dabs of butter and bake until lightly golden, about 30 minutes. Cool completely, cover and refrigerate for a make-ahead meal. To reheat, put the eggplant in a 350 degree F oven, loosely covered, for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake until deeply golden in color, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve a whole eggplant per person.

ITALIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH GROUND VEAL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse eggplant and dry with clean towel.
• Cut eggplant lengthwise. Leave stems on.
• Score eggplant in cross hatch pattern, making sure not to cut into skin.
• Season with salt. Brush with olive oil.
• Place face down on baking sheet.
• Bake eggplant for 20 minutes. Check to see how done it it. This will all depend on size. I baked mine for 30 minutes.
• While eggplant is baking, cook veal.
• Loosen veal with hands. Season with salt and pepper. Pour milk over. Let it soak In.
• Mix in herbs, spices and egg.
• In large frying pan, saute onion for five minutes until softened, but not browned. Add garlic, and be careful not to brown.
• Add ground meat, making sure to break apart and cook on low until meat is cooked through, continuing to stir.
• Take eggplant out of the oven. Cool for a few minutes.
• Scoop out all insides of the eggplant, carefully, so as to not break the skin.
• If there is excess water in the baking dish, use paper towel to sop up.
• Add eggplant in to the ground meet.
• Top with tomato sauce, which is optional.
• Top with some mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for ten minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
• Active Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes

MAMA CHIARELLO'S STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked. Chop eggplant that has been scooped out of the inside; place in saucepan, cover with water and boil until very soft, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Salt and pepper the beef. Add the seasoned ground beef to the pan, and saute until all of its liquid is evaporated and the beef begins to brown slightly. Let cool briefly, and chop the cooked beef so that there are no large chunks of meat. In another medium saute pan over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and saute the onion, pepper and garlic together in the oil.
• In a bowl, mix together the cooked eggplant, vegetables, beef, herbs, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs and the egg. Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly between the two halves.
• Top with chopped tomatoes, the remaining 1/4 cup cheese, remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs, and season with salt and pepper. Place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish, and bake for 50 minutes. Let cool briefly; slice widthwise and serve.

STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• In a large saute pan heat oil add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add reserved chopped eggplant flesh, zucchini and red bell peppers - cook until softened. Add rice. Add white wine cook until wine has evaporated. Add tomatoes, tomato juice and simmer for about 10 minutes or until mixture has thickened and rice is starting to soften. Remove pan from heat and stir in bulgur, anchovies, olives, capers, pine nuts, oregano, thyme, mint and salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Stuff eggplant halves loosely with mixture and arrange on a lightly oiled roasting pan. Top with a mixture of breadcrumbs and Parmesan and bake for 1 hour or until eggplant and breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve lukewarm.

STUFFED ITALIAN EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Drain tomatoes, reserving juice, then finely chop. Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes with reserved juice, water, tomato paste, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in basil.
• Boil eggplants and make filling while sauce simmers:
• Bring a 5- to 6-quart pot of salted water to a boil over moderately high heat.
• Prick eggplants all over with a fork. Boil eggplants, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender when pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander to drain and discard cooking water. When eggplants are cool enough to handle (after about 15 minutes), halve eggplants lengthwise through stem (keep stem attached). With a small sharp knife, scoop out and reserve flesh, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Very finely chop flesh and transfer to a large bowl.
• Bring rice and water to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, uncovered, then reduce heat and simmer rice, covered, until water has been absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and add to chopped eggplant.
• While rice cooks, combine bread and milk in a small bowl and let stand until bread has absorbed milk, then gently squeeze bread, discarding any milk.
• Add bread to rice mixture along with garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine well.
• Sprinkle inside of eggplant shells with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Firmly pack a scant 1/3-cup eggplant stuffing into each eggplant shell. (You may have some stuffing left over.)
• Fry and bake eggplants:
• Put oven rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Heat 1 inch vegetable oil in a 10-inch cast-iron or other deep heavy skillet over moderate heat until thermometer reaches 320°F and add 2 eggplant halves, stuffing sides up. Fry, turning over once using 2 slotted spoons, until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes total. Transfer, stuffing sides up, to paper towels to drain, then fry remaining eggplants, 2 halves at a time, in same manner, returning oil to 320°F between batches.
• Spoon sauce into a 3-quart (about 13- by 9-inch) nonreactive baking dish. Add eggplants, stuffing sides up, and bake, covered with foil, until sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes.

LIDIA'S VEAL AND EGGPLANT GRATINATE (FOR ONE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If using eggplant, cut off ends and slice off two long strips of skin, one on each side. With 1 skin side up, so that each slice will have skin on both sides, slice eggplant lengthwise, 1/4inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dredge lightly in flour. If using zucchini, slice on diagonal, 1/4 inch thick.
• In a 6- to 8-inch ovenproof skillet (see Note), heat 1 tablespoon oil. Brown vegetable slices lightly on both sides, working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding pan. Add more oil as needed to keep pan lightly oiled. Remove and drain on paper towels.
• Sprinkle veal or chicken with salt and pepper, and dredge lightly in flour. Melt butter in same pan until it bubbles, then brown meat lightly on both sides. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add shallot to pan and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Pour in wine and simmer until syrupy.
• Turn off heat and place pieces of meat in skillet. Lay basil leaves or parsley over them, then arrange vegetable slices on top. Spoon tomato sauce over, sprinkle cheese on top, and pour about 2 tablespoons water (more or less, depending on thickness of tomato sauce) around edges of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until meat is cooked through and liquid in bottom of pan is thickened. Sprinkle with torn basil or chopped parsley; serve with crusty bread.