Eggplant Parmesan

This morning I received some suggestions on doing some vegetarian recipes. I totally enjoy just about every vegetable that is out there. I am a huge fan of fresh farmer's market locally grown produce. One of my nephews loves my eggplant Parmesan. The only secret to this dish is that everything is fresh. Thyme, Oregano and Basil flavor homemade Tomato Concasse, (Peeled, diced, and seeded Roma tomatoes slow simmered to a sauce and seasoned with sea salt) that is spooned over Eggplant rounds that have been breaded in fresh whole wheat bread crumbs and layered with a ricotta cheese mixture of egg and grated Parmesan cheese. Shredded Parmesan tops each sauced tower and and is baked until golden brown and bubbly. This is served best with a salad of seasonal crisp veggies, like cucumbers, red onions, and and radishes. A sweet mustard vinaigrette finishes things off nicely. I rarely measure anything in this dish. I like to do it to taste. I will post the steps and photo later tonight. This is going to be dinner!

Here's the recipe:

2 large or 3 small to medium eggplant
3-4 cups of fresh whole wheat bread crumbs (seasoned to taste with salt and pepper)
16 oz of ricotta cheese
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs for cheese mixture and 2 for egg wash
8-10 Roma or plum tomatoes (peeled, seeded and chopped)
1/4 cup of minced basil
2 tbs. of fresh thyme leaves
1 tbs. of minced oregano
Olive oil for sauteing
2 cups of shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Simmer tomatoes in a sauce pot over medium low heat with herbs. Salt to taste.
2. Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Lay on a sheet pan and sprinkle lightly with salt.
whisk 2 eggs with 1/2 cup of water in a bowl and set aside.
3. Warm a large skillet over medium heat with a couple of spoons of olive oil.
4. Dip eggplant slice, one at a time in egg wash and coat with bread crumbs. Pan fry slices on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
5. In a bowl combine ricotta and Parmesan with 2 remaining eggs.
6. In a baking dish lightly coat the bottom with sauce. Place a single layer of cooked eggplant rounds along the bottom.
7. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture over rounds and top with and additional slice of eggplant. Once pan is full, spoon sauce to cover and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Garnish with a sprinkling of dried Italian herbs. Serve immediately. Feed yourself well!

Turkey Burger taste test results

WOW!! The taste test went fantastic. Two burgers reign supreme in over all taste, texture and moistness. All I can say is that Oprah has a strong pallet for robust, rich and savory flavor. The Mar-A-Lago Turkey Burger delivers big spice from the Chipotle Hot Sauce and is uniquely married to a medley of fruits and vegetables to create a one of a kind presentation to your taste buds! Kudos all around! Next, the Spicy Turkey Burger from Epicurious is equally as dynamic. Remarkably a pinnacle of flavor is reached much like the Mar-A-Lago burger primarily from the Chipotle Hot Sauce. Unlike Oprah's favorite, this burger requires far less ingredients and is supported by the addition of cumin and shallots. BRAVO. This was the over all BEST EVER TURKEY BURGER. Honorable mention goes to Kraft for their addition of fresh basil and BBQ sauce. Who knew they were friends. And Sadly we come to last place held by Rachel Ray's Salsa Verde Turkey Burger. This burger was just plain tired. It lacked flavor and interest. I heard a simple quote today that perfectly describes this recipe. "Preparing a meal in 20 minutes isn't cooking, its rushing." Slow down Rachel! We need to feel good about what we serve.

The best thing about food is there are no rules! Whether it's raisins or radishes you never know what your going to get until you mix them up! Have fun, and feed yourself well.

Turkey Burger Recipe Line Up

OK Epicureans here are the recipes that I will be testing In our quest for a fantastic Turkey Burger. The links will take you right to recipe. This is a great way to clean out the pantry and the fridge of any remnant ingredients from past dishes.

Epicurious has a Spicy Turkey Burger for fans of "kicked up cuisine".
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spicy-Turkey-Burgers-109795

OOOOPPPRRAAHHH TURkey BUUURRRGGEERRRR! ROFL. Let's see if Chutney is really the secret.
http://www.oprah.com/recipe/food/recipessandwiches/20080516_tows_turkeyburger

And Kraft always delivery with quick and easy.
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/sarah-steves-turkey-burgers-94326.aspx

And finally Rachel Ray's Salsa Verde Turkey Burger. No EVOO or garbage bowl needed to see if this burger ranks YUMMO!
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/hamburger-recipes/salsa-verde-turkey-burger/article.html

OK this is the line up. I have some friends coming by this week and we are ready to taste and report back to the "board of directors" on the best turkey burger out there!

Have fun and report back on your favorite Turkey Burger! Feed yourself well!

OPERATION: Turkey Burger

I am the first to admit how much I enjoy a big beefy flame kissed hamburger. I am a loyalist to fresh off the grill as well. Recently, I have been really enjoying Turkey Burgers. So I am going to trial and error some recipes from my own to Oprah's Favorite. This should take a few days. I will be collecting product and recipes. If any of you out there have an awesome Turkey Burger recipe, email it to me at tchef41@gmail.com.

Some of the key attributes that I will be looking for are, juiciness, texture, and "turkey" taste. We can also take a look at compliments and condiments. which cheese fits which burger and does turkey bacon stand up and deliver. Tomorrow morning I will post the recipes that go under the microscope. If you have tried any of the past recipes, or you would like to see something particular I am always open to questions, comments, and great thoughts about food. Shoot me an email! Happy eats, and feed yourself well!

Day 5 - Shutterbugs Click away!

Now that we have all 5 recipes posted go back over the last four blogs. Some recipes may not require a trip to the market, while others may need to be printed and tapped to the dash board as to not forget any special ingredients. The most important ingredient is to have fun! Get together with friends and family and have fun in the kitchen, it is the heart of the home. Get creative wtih your pictures, There are no rules! Share with everyone! The email address for all contest pictures is tchef41@gmail.com . It would be great to get all pictures in by January 31St.
I am excited to see everyone's creations! Here the last recipe for 5 recipes in 5 days! Feed yourself well!

Chili Garlic Fish Sandwiches
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Makes 4 Sandwiches

You will need:
4 Tilapia fillets
½ cup of Seasoned Flour
2 -3 tbs. of canola oil
4 French rolls, split
Shredded lettuce
Thin slices of tomatoes

Spread:
1 cup of Mayonnaise (Lite and reduce Fat Mayo works great here.)
2 tbs. of chili garlic sauce
1 tbs. of fresh lime sauce

1. Combine Mayo, chili garlic sauce, and lime juice and set aside.
2. Dust fillets with flour and pan sauté in oil until golden brown and drain.
3. Spread Chili garlic mayo on rolls and add shredded lettuce, tomato and fish filets.
Serve with oven baked fries.

Day 4 - The home stretch, let's steak it up!

I am really excited to see some of the creative pictures everyone is taking to show of thier culinary skills. On the menu today is Flank Steak. This steak can easily be ruined by over cooking. Set yourself up for success by preparing a nice salad, and roasted potatoes in advance. That way you can focus on your steak. Be sure that you slice steak against the grain, like you are carving a brisket. Otherwise you may never chew through it! This is a lean cut, so it is low in fat and high in protein. Have fun in the kitchen, and feed yourself well!

Pan-Seared Flank Steak

2 tsp. SALT
1 Tbsp. COARSE GROUND PEPPER
1 Tbsp. GRANULATED GARLIC
2 Tbsp. OLIVE OIL
1 to 1 1/2 pounds NATURAL FLANK STEAK
(8 oz.) sliced CRIMINI MUSHROOMS
2 cups PEARL ONIONS, thawed
1/2 cup RED WINE
1/2 cup BEEF BROTH
1 Tbsp. WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
1/2 tsp. of BROWN SUGAR

1. Combine seasoning and olive oil in a bowl. Generously season both sides of steak with mixture and set aside.
2. Pan sear steak on both sides in a non stick skillet over medium high heat for 10 - 12 minutes on each side. Remove steak from pan and set aside. Cover loosely with foil.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add mushrooms and onions to pan and sauté until onions and mushrooms start to brown.
4. Add wine, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Simmer to reduce.
5. While sauce is simmering. Slice flank steak thinly against the grain of the meat.
6. Place steak on serving platter and pour sauce over steak.

Day 3 - Best Recipe Photo Contest! Who's cooking?

Yesterday was all about the sweet tooth, today is all about your inner Chef! This recipe is an exercise in developing complex flavor. The contest started Monday the 19Th, so check out those recipes today! A tip for today is that when you are cooking fish, do it in a hot oven. 425-450 degrees works best. Cook fish for 5 minutes per each inch of thickness. Bake fish uncovered until it flakes apart with a fork. Enjoy, and feed yourself well!

Baked Salmon with Cabernet Butter

Ingredients

1 cup full-bodied dry red wine such as Côtes du Rhône
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots (3 to 4)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds of salmon filet with skin removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup of minced parsley for garnish

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine wine, shallots, juice, vinegar, tomato paste, and bay leaf in a 1- to 2-quart heavy saucepan and boil over moderately high heat until mixture is thick and jam-like and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Transfer mixture to a small bowl set in a bowl of ice and cold water and stir until cold to the touch, about 5 minutes. Remove from ice water and stir in zest, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper with a rubber spatula until incorporated.

Pat fish dry, then brush both sides with oil (2 tablespoons total) and sprinkle with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bake fish in a hot oven for 15-20 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove fish from oven and place on serving platter. Dollop wine butter oven hot fish and sprinkle with lots of minced parsley.

Serve with Saffron Rice and Steamed Vegetable Medley.