Tomato Sauce | 20something cupcakes

I’m very much a person of cravings, and one of the types of food I find myself craving the most is Italian.

There’s something so comforting about a steaming hot dish draped in tomato sauce and topped off with piles of perfectly browned melted cheese.

Eggplant Parmesan fits the bill perfectly, and I promise you won’t even be able to tell this one’s been lightened up. It’ll be just as delicious as you remember, and then some – all thanks to a super-easy homemade tomato sauce, and the use of high-quality fresh mozzarella. What I love most is that this eggplant is baked in the oven and not fried – it’s so much lighter and less-greasy than the typical variety, but still packed with all the great flavor you crave.

It does take a little bit of time since you have to first bake the eggplant slices in the oven before assembling the dish, but I promise you – it’s worth it. Just open yourself a bottle of your favorite Chianti and enjoy the evening!

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Adapted via Cooking Light

Eggplant:

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 cup whole-wheat panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 large eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices {peel if you prefer}
Cooking spray

Filling:

1/2 cup torn fresh basil
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2-3 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Pasta sauce:

1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes {or crushed tomatoes if that’s what you have on hand}
1 yellow onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
A few torn leaves of fresh basil

For topping:

Kosher salt
8 ounces sliced fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano

*Note: The original recipe calls for a 24-ounce jar of pasta sauce. If you’re short on time, or would prefer to go that route, feel free. The pasta sauce I made is pretty simple, though – and I imagine it had an impact on the overall flavor of the dish.

Preheat oven to 375°.

To make eggplant, combine egg and 1 tablespoon water in a shallow dish. Combine panko, breadcrumbs, and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a second shallow dish. Dip eggplant in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere and shaking off excess. Place eggplant 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray, or baking sheets with racks. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden, turning once and rotating baking sheets after 15 minutes (you won’t have to flip the eggplant if you’re using the rack).

While the eggplant is baking, make your sauce. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat and sauté onion until soft and golden, about 7-9 minutes. Give your onions a nice seasoning of salt; seasoning in layers always adds to the flavor of the dish. Add the crushed red pepper, and add the garlic and let cook for only about 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Add can of tomatoes, and if using the whole ones, use the back of your wooden spoon to break apart the tomatoes against the side of the pot as they cook. Add basil, and turn the heat down; let the sauce simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste.

To make ricotta filling, combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl.

To assemble, spoon 1/2 cup pasta sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of eggplant slices over pasta sauce. Sprinkle eggplant lightly with salt. Now add some more pasta sauce, about 3/4 cup. Spread half of the ricotta filling over the sauce. Layer the remaining eggplant slices on top, sprinkling with salt again. Spread the rest of the ricotta on top of the eggplant, and top with remaining sauce.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove foil; top with sliced mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and lightly browned; cool 10 minutes.

spaghetti + meatballs.

June 21, 2010 — 4 Comments

Is there a better comfort food than spaghetti and meatballs?

For me, maybe mac ‘n cheese tops it. But not according to my bestest friend in the world, Jess – she doesn’t eat most types of cheese, only Parmesan and mozzarella. For her, meatballs are where it’s at.

I can’t argue. I’ll take a good meatball over a lot of things.

So for her birthday this year, a menu of all of her favorite things was definitely in order. We started with a simple Caprese salad of fresh mozzarella and beefsteak tomatoes, drizzled with good balsamic and olive oil and some fresh basil from our {balcony} garden.

This is another one of Jess’ absolute favorite things. She is a person you can count on to order meatballs and/or Caprese salad anytime they’re on the menu – she’s cute like that.

And when it comes to dessert, it’s chocolate-covered anything – strawberries, pretzels, extra points for a caramel apple. She also happens to love anything involving turtle candy – you know, the classic chocolate, caramel, and pecan combo. So, I ended up making her a turtle ice cream pie.

{You’ll have to stay tuned for that recipe}

Back to our luscious little meatballs. I’ve made meatballs you bake in the oven, and meatballs you pan-fry. These meatballs are browned in the pan first, and then they finish simmering in the {super-fast and easy} tomato sauce for about a half hour. It’s a good method – they come out perfectly moist, and the veal/pork/beef combo gives them incredible flavor. But, really – did you expect anything less coming from Ina?

Real Meatballs + Spaghetti

Adapted from Ina Garten

1/2 pound ground veal {if you can’t find this at the store, use 1 1/4 pounds beef and 3/4 pound pork instead – or whatever gets you to 2 pounds total}
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs {4 slices, crusts removed, into the food processor and blended into crumbs}
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

The sauce:

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup good red wine
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan

Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don’t crowd the meatballs. And don’t worry if they come out looking a little flat on some sides – that’s what happened to me. I promise – they’re still quite presentable and very delish. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don’t clean the pan.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

{Along with your favorite red wine, of course}

In Main Dishes, Recipe Arsenal caprese, comfort food, easy appetizers, ina garten, meatballs, pasta, red wine, tomato sauce

weeknight fix: shakshuka.

May 10, 2010 — 4 Comments

No, I’m not talking about some new Zumba-esque dance move that will burn calories faster than you can say the word.

{Though that does sound pretty great – I need to get on that}

What I am talking about is a delicious North African/Israeli dish consisting of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. And while it doesn’t burn calories – it’s definitely healthy, inexpensive, and simple enough to spice up any easy-peasy weeknight meal plan. Sure, the main event here is eggs – so you could eat it for breakfast or brunch – but having eggs for dinner is one of my favorite things to do; it just makes you feel good after a long day. Add some warm tomato sauce to the mix, and what’s more comforting that that?

Shakshuka
Found on Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Saveur

Serves 4 to 6

1/4 cup olive oil
5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped {I used jalapeños}
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pita chips, for serving {I used whole-wheat}

Heat oil in a 12-inch deep skillet or a Dutch oven {any excuse to use my Le Creuset} over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. This is fun and makes me happy; it’s like squeezing those little stress balls but better. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. If this scares you, don’t let it – it’s super easy! Cover and let it cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.

To make the pita chips, just cut your pita rounds into eighths – toss with a bit of olive oil and kosher salt – and throw them into a 400 degree oven for about 5 to 10 minutes. So easy and healthy – and they work great with all kinds of dips and spreads.