Author Archives: jdandy

Lidia Bastianich – Eggplant Parmigiana
6 servings
When I bread and fry things like these slices of eggplants, I make a little assembly line that leads from the flour to the eggs, on to the breadcrumbs and right into the pan of hot oil. Placing three rectangular cake pans side by side next to the stove works nicely-there is very little cleanup afterwards-but any container wide enough to hold several slices of eggplant at a time will work just as well. This dish can be made with roasted eggplant slices instead of breaded and fried eggplant. Although it will be good, it will not be as tasty nor will it have the texture of the fried eggplant. The roasted version is very simple: drain and rinse the eggplant as described above, but instead of coating the eggplant slices, toss them with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil, and set the eggplant slices side by side on the baking sheet. Bake them in a 450 degrees F preheated oven for 20 minutes till they are golden brown. Let them cool and proceed to layer and bake the ingredients as below

3 medium eggplants, (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
1 tablespoon sea salt, or kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
all-purpose flour, for dredging
2 cups plain breadcrumbs
freshly ground pepper
½ cup vegetable oil, or as needed
½ cup olive oil, or as needed
Tomato sauce
2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese or imported Fontina cheese, cut into slices 1/3-inch thick
12 fresh basil leaves

Trim the stems and ends from the eggplants. Remove strips of peel about 1-inch wide from the eggplants, leaving about half the peel intact. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into1/2-inch thick slices and place them in a colander. Sprinkle with the coarse salt and let drain for 1 hour. Rinse the eggplant under cool running water, drain thoroughly and pat dry.

Whisk the eggs and 1 teaspoon salt together in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan or wide, shallow bowl. Spread the flour and breadcrumbs in an even layer in two separate wide, shallow bowls or over sheets of wax paper. Dredge the eggplant slices in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the floured eggplant into the egg mixture, turning well to coat both sides evenly. Let excess egg drip back into the pan, then lay the eggplant in the pan of breadcrumbs. Turn to coat both sides well with breadcrumbs, pressing with your hands until the breadcrumbs adhere well to the eggplant.

Pour 1/2 cup each of the olive and vegetable oils into a medium skillet. Heat over medium-high heat until a corner of one of the eggplant slices gives off a lively sizzle when dipped into the oil. Add as many of the eggplant slices as fit without touching and cook, turning once, until well browned on both sides, about 6 minutes. Remove the eggplant to a baking pan lined with paper towel and repeat with the remaining eggplant slices. Adjust the heat as the eggplant cooks to prevent the bits of coating that fall off the eggplant slices from burning. Add oil to the pan as necessary during cooking to keep the level more or less the same.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the tomato sauce to simmering, if necessary, in a small saucepan over medium heat. Ladle enough sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish to cover the bottom. Sprinkle with an even layer of grated cheese and top with a layer of fried eggplant, pressing it down gently. Tear a few leaves of basil over the eggplant and ladle about 3/4 cup of the sauce to coat the top evenly. Sprinkle an even layer of grated cheese over the sauce and top with a layer of mozzarella or Fontina, using about one-third of the cheese. Repeat the layering as described above two more times, ending with a top layer of cheese that leaves a border of about one inch around the edges of the baking dish. Drizzle sauce around the border of the baking dish and sprinkle the top layer with the remaining grated cheese. Finish with a few decorative streaks or rounds of tomato sauce. Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil and poke several holes in the foil with the tip of a knife. Bake 30 minutes.

Uncover and continue baking until the top layer of cheese is golden in spots, about 15 minutes. Let rest 10 to 20 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

From http://rollingspoon.com/eat-to-the-beat-jann-ardens-moms-meatloaf/

I’ve always liked Jann Arden – even more so since meeting her in person last summer to do a grilling segment for CBC radio – but a recent conversation we had about food made me love her even more. She’s not just good humour and an awesome set of pipes – she knows how to enjoy a good meal. “Food is one of the greatest things about being a human being,” she told me.

As we chatted on the phone, Jann was sipping a kale-ginger-spinach-mint-apple-cucumber something or other, appreciative of the fact that eating properly is important. But she also appreciates eating well, and open-mindedly; she believes in trying new things, even if it’s, as she put it, pickled jellied lamb heart, or a cockle. (“Try a damn cockle!” Love her.) Perhaps Jann’s gastro-inquisitiveness was part of the reason she was asked to be a celebrity guest judge on last season’s Top Chef Canada, an experience that required her to down two five-course meals within a 5-hour period. (A task she was up for.)

As a kid, Jann was (not happily) one of the CrockPot generation – with two working parents, dinner was put in the slow cooker before work and school, and at 6pm most evenings would emerge the same colour as the previous night’s meal. “The colour was indescribable,” she reminisced. They’d always have plenty of potatoes or rice to make it go down easier.

Those who lived in Calgary a decade or so ago may remember the Arden Diner on 17th Ave, a small, cozy diner Jann owned with her younger brother, Patrick. Their Mom’s meatloaf was one of the most popular menu items – it’s something she made really well, and Jann continues to make, although now she uses lean turkey in place of the beef. I asked if she’d consider opening another restaurant – “never say never,” she replied, although she seems satisfied with just taking in the constant stream of new restaurants popping up in YYC. “Calgary has a ferocious restaurant scene,” she says, “comparable with cities like Chicago and Los Angeles.”

Besides, she loves to cook at home, when she has the chance – on the road 225 days a year, when she’s back home in Springbank, where she lives on 14 acres, she cooks for family and friends, and bakes for whomever comes to visit. And yes, she makes meatloaf.

Of course, the best reason to make meatloaf is for the leftovers – this recipe produces two meaty loaves, so you don’t have to worry about holding back on dinner – #1 can be served with mashed potatoes while #2 lies in wait in the fridge for the next day’s lunch.

To make grilled meatloaf sandwiches, place a thin slice of Havarti or aged cheddar on a piece of bread, top with a slice of meatloaf, another slice of Havarti and another slice of bread, and cook in a generous drizzle of olive oil in a hot pan (or in a preheated panini grill) until the cheese is melted and the bread is crisp. Seriously – it’s two comfort foods in one.

Jann Arden’s Mom’s Meatloaf

Adapted from a recipe previously published in Chatelaine.

2.5 kg lean ground beef or ground turkey (or a combination)
4 large eggs
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup HP sauce or bottled barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp. Montreal steak spice
1/2 cup oatmeal
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed

Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together and pack tightly into 2 loaf pans lined with parchment paper. Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 425F and cook for another 20-25 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before slicing and serving. Makes 2 meatloaves.

http://rollingspoon.com/eat-to-the-beat-jann-ardens-moms-meatloaf/

Jeanne’s Comments:
Garlic Mashed (just what you’d expect)
Yukon gold potatoes
Lots of garlic (I might roast the garlic next time)
Lots of butter
Some milk
My great aunt Edith’s potato masher and some elbow grease