the best thing to come out of toaster oven since sliced bread

                 

Doozy of a blog post title, huh?  But I was very pleased with how delicious this eggplant parmesan recipe from my friend Lynn was.  And even more pleased that I was able to pull it off in a toaster oven.  I know, you're wondering why on earth lilrevchef would put eggplant in a toaster oven (I might just be the first person to have ever done that).  Well, it seems that, to put it in Texan vernacular, I done gone cooked my oven to death, y'all.  I was making a batch of those scrumptious snickerdoodles the other day and right as they came out of the oven, I noticed one of the elements burning really brightly.  Like welding-you-should-have-protective-eyewear brightly.  I turned off the oven and watched as it had it's own little fourth of July celebration, sending sparks flying in all directions as the element burnt out.  Not good.  It'll definitely need a new element before it's safe to use.  But, never one to let a little thing like an exploding oven to stop me from cooking, I decided to make use of my toaster oven and see just how much the latter term was really true.  It worked!  I do recommend that you make this in a regular oven.  It's funny, my friend Tad has asked for a retro recipe from the 60's and I think it would probably be trying to make this in a toaster oven, or making something in the microwave, being stunned with the amazing developments in technology!  

You'll need one, one pound eggplant/aubergine.  I halved Lynn's recipe (to make it toaster-oven adaptable and about 5 servings).

The recipe calls for whole wheat panko bread crumbs (which are wonderfully crisp Japanese breadcrumbs that are infinitely better than the sawdust that passes for regular breadcrumbs).  But I couldn't find whole wheat ones, so I just toasted up regular panko breadcrumbs making them extra crispy.  Check out that chef move tossing those breadcrumbs in the pan!  I can set ovens on fire, but I can also do other things, y'all.

I just toasted them in a dry pan on medium, shaking often until golden brown.

Peel your eggplant.  It is SO easy compared to that beastly butternut.

I sliced it in about 1/3 inch rounds, a bit thinner than the recipe called for because comments on the recipe said it made them more tender.

Add one tablespoon of water to two eggs and whisk together.

Add about 1/4 cup of parmesan to your panko breadcrumbs and stir to combine.

Dredge eggplant slices in the egg...

and then the breadcrumb mixture, pressing lightly to get the breadcrumbs to adhere and then shaking off the excess.

Bake at 375ºF/190ºC for about 30 minutes until crispy outside and tender inside.  My teeny toaster oven only let me fit about half of them, so I ended up pan-crisping the others in a little olive oil on medium heat.  And, though it might not be as healthy, those were the most tender, flavorful slices of eggplant.  Do whatever ya like.

Now we need to get some of our filling put together.  This eggplant parmesan is really a bit like lasagna, with yummy layers of cheesy goodness.  Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic.

Add in a handful of basil, chopped, but save some for the top.

Add in about 7 ounces of part-skim ricotta.

And 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and one egg.  Stir together well to incorporate.

Your second sauce is easy-peasy: whatever old jarred sauce you'd like to use.  I had this one.  Okay, follow carefully: apply pressure to the top of the jar and turn the lid to remove.  I know, so difficult.  Take a little power nap after this if you need to.

Lightly spray a small baking dish (about 4''x8'' I think) with cooking spray and then put a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom.

Follow that with a layer of the eggplant and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon of salt (I call that a pinch).

Then add more sauce,

that yummy ricotta mixture,

and top it with a slice of mozzarella and a sprinkling of fontina.  Cheesy heaven!

Continue layering, ending with the tomato sauce on top.  Ignore mesmerizing Medusa stare of begging dog.

Bake in that toaster oven/oven for about 30 minutes, covered with foil.

(You go, toaster oven!  This is your moment to shine.  You're capable of so much more than toast.)

Then take the foil off, add a layer of mozzarella and fontina on top and let melt in oven for another ten minutes.  Top with torn basil.

Divine!  Toaster oven, well done, old friend.

Bon appetit!

lilrevchef

butternut bliss

Thanks for the picture, Williams-Sonoma.  Feel free to use one of mine.  Please?

You may be wearing your flannel pj's, drinking hot chocolate and watching leaves fall like rain outside, but until you've had roasted butternut squash risotto, you haven't really celebrated fall.  Dramatic, I know, but I love the stuff.  Let's continue celebrating fabulous fall, shall we?  My risotto recipe makes enough for about 4 people.  And remember, leftovers are your friend, and this risotto might just be your best friend. 

This picture's just to inspire you.  Because cutting up a butternut squash is not for the faint of heart (or dull of knife), so you're going to need all your courage.  Deep breath, here we go...

Let me walk you through how I do it.  Thank your butternut for contributing to a delicious autumnal feast.  Then, cut a bit off the top and bottom (so it's flat on the bottom and top) and cut crosswise in three large pieces.

Sit up each little section and use your knife to work your way down the sides and take the peel off.

You'll be left with three little stumpy guys.

Do whatever you like with these: make an autumn wreath out of them to show you've conquered the mighty butternut or...compost 'em.  It's up to you.

Now take the bottom third of the squash, cut in half and scoop out the seeds and that weird alien pumpkinish gooey stuff.

Slice each section into thick rounds, slice again to make little rectangles...

 and then cube them up.  You didn't expect this to be a basic math refresher, did you?

Now comes what takes those golden cubes to a whole new level: rosemary.  Woodsy (in a good way — not a 2x4 kind of way), fragrant, piney, yum.  Chop finely, because that delightful herb when roasted turns into little sharp sticks that are not so fun to swallow.  Trust me.  Tiny is better.

Toss that yummy butternut with salt, pepper, olive oil and the rosemary and roast at 400ºF/200ºC, stirring twice or so, for 25-30 minutes.  They're done when the squash is soft and starting to caramelize on the outside.

Like this.  I should warn you: at this point you will be tempted to just stand at the kitchen counter and pop these golden squares of goodness straight into your mouth, not even bothering with the risotto.  It's okay, I won't judge.  They are creamy, crunchy, divine.

If you somehow manage to resist eating all of the butternut squash, let's get going on the risotto.  (The best way to be sure you actually do complete this recipe is to, of course, roast the squash at the same time you're making the risotto.  I believe it's what people refer to as "multitasking.")  Chop one onion and three cloves of garlic.  Put 4 cups of low-sodium chicken stock in a saucepan and simmer on low.

Saute the onions in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan in a little olive oil and 1 T of butter with a dash of s&p, until soft.  Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes.

You need some of this fancy schmancy arborio rice.  It's Italian, short-grained (short is cool) and even Julia Child could't make decent risotto without it.

 Add 1 cup of rice and stir in the hot oil & butter for a few minutes until translucent.

(This is what it will look like.) 

 Ladle in (or cup measure in, I suppose) some of the chicken stock...

and stir, stir, stir, adding more stock as needed when the rice absorbs most of it.  It will take a little less than 20 minutes in total, until the rice is al dente, which is fancy  Italian lingo for good-n-done, but not soggy.

 In the meantime, grate about 1/2 cup of parmesan.

Remember those butternut bites of joy?  Like you could forget them!  Take about a fourth of them and stuff them all in your mouth at once blend in a food processor with about 1/4 cup of chicken stock.

 Beautiful, huh?

Stir the puree into the risotto and watch it change color from calm cream to outstanding orange.  Lovely.

Add in the rest of the butternut squash and the cheese and stir to combine.  Adjust salt and pepper if you need to.  The parm has some saltiness to it, so be sure to only adjust salt after adding that.

Enjoy this decadent taste of fall.  The butternut squash puree gives it a sublime creaminess and the rosemary adds the perfect hint of earthiness.  You'll love it, I promise.  And coming soon, I'll share my pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  Can you tell why fall is my favorite season?

Bon appetit!

lilrevchef