Baked Eggplant Appetizers

We had a dinner party last night and decided to make one of our favorite dishes, pasta marguerita. Fettuccine noodles are topped with a light, garlic tomato sauce then tossed with fresh parmesan, mozzarella and basil. It's simple and delicious. To go with the pasta, we made a tossed salad with chevre and cracked open some loaves crusty of bread.

For an appetizer, I wanted to keep with the theme, so I choose an eggplant appetizer. I searched on allrecipes.com, found a highly rated recipe and then gussied it up a bit. They turned out great!

Thin slices of peeled eggplant are dipped in egg and then a parmesan, pecan breadcrumb mixture (good flavor and texture btw).

Then it's into the oven for some crisping...

And after they are golden, they get flipped over, topped with a tomato/artichoke mixture and some mozzarella cheese, then it's back into the oven to get bubbly and browned. Yum!

I let them sit for a minute and then transferred them to a serving platter and set them out. They were gone in ten minutes. That's the sign of a good appetizer and a recipe for the files.

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Baked Eggplant Appetizers

1 Large eggplant

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/3 cup ground pecans (opt.)

1/4 cup grated parmesan

2 tomato, chopped (or one small can petite tomatoes, drained well)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning blend

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Fresh mozzarella or grated for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Peel eggplant and cut into thin round slices, about 1/4 inch thick. In a small bowl, whip together egg, water, and a pinch of black pepper and garlic powder. Place the breadcrumbs, ground pecans and parmesan cheese in a separate shallow bowl, stir to combine.

In another both, mix drained tomatoes (or fresh) and artichoke hearts. Stir in 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning. Set aside.

Dip the eggplant slices one at a time into the egg and water mixture, then into the breadcrumbs. One by one, place the coated slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flip over and top with a layer of the tomato/artichoke mixture and a sprinkling of parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Bake an additional 6-7 minutes until the cheese is melted. If needed, broil 2 to 3 minutes to get browned and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Cooking Club: May

Italian with Red Wine Tasting

Shauna: Stuffed Eggplant Rolls

Sarah: Focaccia bread - Meat and Cheese Platter

Linda: Tiramisu
Summer: Italian Stuffed Jalapeno

Ashlin: Cauliflower with Pasta

Jodi: Baked Ziti w/Bolognese sauce - Spumoni
Dana: Spaghetti Carbonara
Cheryl: Italian Crème cake
Chris: Chicken Parmesan

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We started off with a fabulous red wine tasting, 7 bottles to be exact!! And the winner was...

Dana's bottle of Pinot Noir! On sale for $8.99 Now onto the food!!!
Italian Stuffed Jalapenos.

Cauliflower and Pasta

The Best Ever Focaccia Bread!! Tomato, Pesto and Kalamata Olive and Green Olive and Caramelized Onion.

Focaccia, Cheese and Meat Platter



Chicken Parmesan, Yum!

Spaghetti Carbonara

Stuffed Eggplant Rolls

Onto dessert! We kicked it off with shots of limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur (as if the 7 glasses of wine weren't enough!)

Then we dove into some delicious Italian Cream Cake and...

Tiramisu.

And of course, some spumoni.

Italian night wouldn't be complete without the stunning vocals of Andrea Bocelli.

Recipes!!!

Italian Stuffed Jalapenos / Guy Fieri

15 jalapenos, preferably red, cut in 1/2, seeded and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups mascarpone or cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper *
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and set a rack in the middle of the oven.
Place jalapenos on a sheet tray and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Turn broiler on medium.

Heat the oil in a medium saute pan. Add the sausage and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic and cook to soften for about 5 minutes. Remove and place in a large bowl. Cool to room temperature, then add mascarpone, and Parmesan. Mix ingredients thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.

Place approximately 1 tablespoon of mixture into each jalapeno half, and top with 1/2 teaspoon of mozzarella cheese.

Place the sheet tray of stuffed peppers in oven and broil until mozzarella cheese melts.

* The mixture is salty enough without adding any extra salt.

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Spaghetti Carbonara / Emeril Lagasse
Click Here
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Stuffed Eggplant / Marguerite Henderson - Savor the Memories
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All the other recipes have to be hand typed, so if you would like one let me know in the comments sections! :)