Food | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Category: Food
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
  
  Posted at 11:25 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 16th
  My love affair with making Christmas Cookies started when I was a little girl helping my mother bake cookies at Christmas. We made large quantities of my mother’s favorite recipes. To this day I have continued the tradition of baking, baking and more baking of delectable cookies. Today I made a favorite cookie of my children when they were little. Peanut Blossoms are a fun cookie topped with a chocolate kiss. Who does love a peanut butter cookie with a chocolate kiss in the center. I love the taste of peanut butter meeting chocolate. I’ve tried different versions of this cookie but always return to the Hershey’s original recipe that I made so long ago.
  
  1 3/4 cups flour
  
  1/2 cup sugar
  
  1/2 cup brown sugar
  
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
  
  1/2 cup peanut butter
  
  2 tablespoons milk
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  1 egg
  
  48 chocolate kisses, unwrapped
  
  Pre heat oven to 325 F. In large bowl mix beat shortening and peanut butter. Add sugars mixing until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat flour mixture into peanut butter until all the ingredients until combined and dough forms. Shape a teaspoonful of dough into balls. Roll balls in additional sugar(1/2 cup). Place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden. Remove cookies from oven and immediately top each cookie with a kiss, pressing down so the cookie cracks slightly around edges of kiss. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from baking sheet letting cool completely.
  
  Makes 48.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  buzxchomp.com
  
  gooddinnermrsmellen@blogspot.com
  
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, Christmas Recipes, cookies, Dessert, desserts, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged Christmas cookies, easy, Hershey Kisses, peanut butter
- Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Crean Cheese Frosting
  
  Posted at 9:56 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 3rd
  Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Crean Cheese Frosting
  
  Peppermint reminds me of old fashioned Christmases when I would find a big candy cane in my stocking which I would savor for weeks! I love the combination of chocolate, cream cheese and peppermint in this cake. As I take a bite the cool peppermint cream cheese frosting combines with the chocolate cake for an irresistible tempting dessert that will be the star of any Holiday meal.
  
  Ingredients
  
  . 2 cups sugar
  
  . 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
  . ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
  . 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
  . 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
  . 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
  . 1 cup buttermilk
  
  . ½ cup vegetable oil
  
  . 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  
  . 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  
  . 1 cup hot water
  
  . Peppermint Frosting (recipe follows)
  
  . Garnish: Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses and crushed candy canes
  
  Instructions
  
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with baking spray. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper, and spray again.
  
  2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Form a well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Add hot water, whisking to combine. Pour batter into prepared pans.
  
  3. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.
  
  4. Remove from oven, and let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
  
  5. Spread Peppermint Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Decorate with kisses and crushed candy cane. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with sugared mint leaves, sparkling sugar, and candy canes, if desired. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  
  Cream Cheese Buttercream
  
  1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
  
  1 cup butter, softened
  
  2 16-oz pkg. powdered sugar
  
  2 tablespoon whole milk
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla
  
  1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  
  Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium
  
  speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla,
  
  peppermint, and salt, and beat until smooth. Increase speed to
  
  medium high, and beat until light and fluffy.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Cake, Chocolate, Christmas, Christmas Recipes, desserts, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged chocolate cake, Christmas, peppermint cream cheese frosting
- Kolaches – Hungarian Christmas Cookies
  
  Posted at 1:00 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 1st
  Kolaches, Hungarian Christmas Cookies take me back to Christmas of my childhood where my mother would spend days baking Christmas cookies, filling our home with perfectly delightful smells. I would come home from school being greeted by my mother and the aroma of cookies baking in the oven. One of her favorite cookie to bake was Kolaches: a recipe that was pasted down to her by a Hungarian neighbor when she was growing up. Like my mother these flakey pastry cookies become one of my favorites that I still make today for my family and friends!
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Kolaches – Hungarian Christmas Cookies
  
  Ingredients
  
  For the Pastry:
  
  2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  
  ½ teaspoon salt
  
  8 oz cream cheese
  
  1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  
  ½ cup powered sugar for rolling
  
  1 can Solo Poppy Seed Cake and Pastry Filling
  
  Instructions
  
  For the Pastry Dough:
  
  Sift flour and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a stand mixer or a hand mixer until completely incorporated and creamy (3-5 minutes).
  
  Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour. I used 5 additions and completely mixed in the flour each time. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
  
  Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and flatten each to ¾” thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until hard, at least 2 hours.
  
  Assembling the Kolaches:
  
  Pre-heat the oven to 375°. Move the oven rack one setting higher than the center.
  
  Take one of the disks of dough from the refrigerator and lightly flour both sides. Spread powered sugar on your pastry board or work surface. Place the dough on top and roll out pastry to 1/16” to 1/8” thick.
  
  With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim the dough into a square and then cut the square into 16 smaller squares.Place a dollop of filling into the center of each square. I used ½ teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon for each.
  
  Gently grab two opposite corners and fold one over the other, gently pressing down to try and seal them together. Gently move it to a parchment covered baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining squares, placing the kolaches no closer than 1” apart.
  
  Sprinkle the middles of the kolaches with just a touch of granulated sugar.
  
  Bake 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edges are a golden and you can smell them. Let cool slightly on the pan on a wire rack and then move them gently to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with all remaining dough. Refrigerate and re-roll your scraps.
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  Posted in Christmas Recipes, cookies, Dessert, Food | Tagged Hungarian Christmas cookies, Kolaches, Poppy seed, Solo filling
- Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Icing
  
  Posted at 10:49 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 3rd
  In New England we celebrate Autumn with gusto like the strong winds creating falling leave whirlpools on front lawns then whisking the colorful leaves away to decompose in the woods. Fall is a glorious season inviting all to partake in the cornucopia of scents and tastes indicative of the season. I love to bake aromatic cakes, pies and cookies filling my home with spicy fragrances; a perfect companion to falling temperatures complimenting the change from summer to fall. On a brisk fall day what could be more appropriate than a piece of spice cake with a cup of tea sitting by the fire watching the changing jewel tone leaves float quietly to the ground.
  - For cake
    - 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
    - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
    - 2 teaspoons baking powder
    - 1 teaspoon baking soda
    - 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
    - 1/2 teaspoon salt
    - 1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-ounce can; not pie filling), Libby’s Pumpkin
    - 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
    - 1 teaspoon vanilla
    - 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
    - 3 large eggs
  - For icing
  - 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  - 1/3 cup heavy cream1/4 cup salted butter
  - 1 cup powdered sugar
  - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  - Special Equipment
    - a 10-inch nonstick bundt pan (3 quart)
  PREPARATION
  - Make cake:
    - Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.
    - Whisk together flour (2 1/4 cups), baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.
    - Beat butter (1 1/2 sticks) and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
    - Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert onto severing plate. Cool 10 minutes more.
  - Make icing:
  - Bring light brown sugar, heavy cream, and salted butter to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan over medium, stirring often. Boil, stirring often, 1 minute; remove from heat. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla extract until smooth.
  - Drizzle icing over warm cake, then cool cake completely. Icing will harden slightly.
  Cake can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container
  
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, Cake, Dessert, Easter Recipes, Food | Tagged fall baking, Libby's pumpkin, New England, spice cake
- Fall Apple Desserts
  
  Posted at 4:51 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Oct 21st
  In New England we are love to celebrate the fall season. Cool morning with warm sunny days, jewel tone leaves, farm roadside stands bursting with the last of summer’s bounty all signal the change in the seasons. Nature’s premier show on display for all to enjoy. Fall baking is one of my favorite past times and I especially love to make apple desserts. Going through all my post I realized I’m kind of obsessed with apples, cakes, pies, cupcakes and more. When I’m creating a new cake or pie the fall just inspires me like nature to give it my all and go wild! Here are a few of my fall favorites that I have posted over the years.
  
  Candied Apple Fudge Bundt Cake
  
  Candied Apple Fudge Bundt Cake
  
  FANTASTIC APPLE PIE
  
  Fantastic Fall Apple Pie
  
  CANDIED APPLE CRUMB CAKE
  
  Candied Apple Crumb Cake
  
  FALL APPLE PIE
  
  FALL APPLE PIE
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
  buzzchomp.com
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, desserts, Food, Uncategorized | Tagged apples, cake, fall desserts, Pie
- Turkey Porcini Lasagna
  
  Posted at 12:04 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 30th
  Turkey Porcini Lasagna
  
  I adapted this recipe to use turkey ground meet and turkey sausage. The sauce is very flavorful and the vegetables add a wonderful richness. I like to make a large pan of Lasagna and cut into serving pieces and freeze. You can make the Bolognese sauce a day ahead or freeze until you are ready to make the lasagna. In fact I make soups, chilies, sauce with meatballs, and more in large quantities and freeze. I always have something ready for dinner even if I don’t have time to make a meal. Give this recipe a try for a large group or make to freeze into individual serving sizes.
  
  Bolognese (Turkey) Sauce
  
  I wanted to make a “meat” sauce that tasted wonderful but didn’t use red meat to cut down on fat and calories. I used ground turkey and turkey sausage to make this flavorful sauce. And the sauce is EASY to make!
  
  1/2 lb. Italian sausage, remove casings
  
  1/2 lb. ground turkey
  
  1 cup chopped onion(1 large)
  
  1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (1 medium)
  
  1/2 cup chopped green pepper(1 small)
  
  1/4 cup chopped celery
  
  4 cloves garlic, minced
  
  1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  
  1 6-ounce can tomato paste
  
  1/2 cup dry red wine or chicken broth
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  
  1/2 cup whole milk
  
  1/4 cup fresh basil
  
  2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano
  
  In a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground turkey, carrot, sweet pepper, celery, and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is good and onion is tender, using a wooden spoon to break up meat as it cooks. Drain off fat.(using lean turkey you don’t have much fat)
  
  Stir in tomatoes, tomato past, wine, salt and black pepper. Bring to boiling: reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in milk, basil, and oregano.
  
  Lasagna
  
  Porcini Filling
  
  15 dried lasagna
  
  1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  
  Italian parsley (optional)
  
  Porcini Filling
  
  1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  
  4 cloves garlic minced
  
  3 tablespoon butter
  
  3 tablespoon flour
  
  1 1/2 cup whole milk
  
  1/2 cup dry white wine
  
  1 15 ounce carton ricotta cheese
  
  1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  
  1/4 cup snipped Italian parsley
  
  1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
  
  Make Porcini filling: Place mushrooms in a small bowl adding enough boiling water to cover. Let stand for 10 minutes; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again. Chop mushrooms set aside. In a large saucepan heat butter saute garlic for about 30 seconds. Stir in flour until combined. Slowly stir in milk and wine. Cook and stir until thick. Remover from heat. Stir in mushrooms, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley and basil.
  
  Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Pre heat oven to 350 F. Use a 14 x 11 inch baking dish. Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce on bottom of baking dish. Top with three noodles and 2 cups of meat sauce. Top with three more noodles and half of Porcini filling. Repeat layering noodles, meat sauce, noodles and Porcini filling. Top with remaining three noodles and meat sauce.
  
  Cover lasagna with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes more. Let stank for 20 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley (optional)
  
  Enjoy!
  
  gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
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  Posted in Food, Hearty Meal, Main Dish, Main Meal, pasta | Tagged family meal, turkey lasagna
- Slow Cooked Chicken Casserole
  
  Posted at 1:36 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 27th
  SLOW COOKED CHICKEN CASSEROLE
  
  September is here and fall is in the air in New England. Morning are cool and leaves are turning burnished shades of autumn. Time to pull out the warm sweaters for a brisk walk in the woods. Summer meals are replaced with hearty casseroles flagrantly scented with fresh herbs still flourishing in the garden. I made this chicken casserole in a low over and you could use a slow cooker too. Either method produces tender chicken that just pulls away from the bone melting in your mouth!
  
  6 pounds mixed chicken pieces, breasts, legs and thighs.
  
  2 tablespoon olive oil
  
  1 large onion chopped
  
  4 cloves garlic minced
  
  8 ounces sliced mushrooms
  
  1 tablespoon minced rosemary
  
  1 tablespoon minced thyme
  
  1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
  1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  
  1 cup dry white wine
  
  2 tablespoon flour
  
  Pre heat over to 275 F. Heat oil in pan to high. Add chicken pieces searing to brown on each side. One browned remove chicken placing in dutch over. I love Le Creuset from France. Expensive yet so worth the price as they cook food beautifully and last forever. Cook onion in pan until translucent. Add garlic; cook for a few minutes then add mushrooms stirring until juices evaporate. Add rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper combine for a minute before adding wine. Bring to boil then simmer adding flour mixing to thicken the sauce. Poor over chicken in dutch over and slow cook for two and a half hours.
  
  You can make this ahead the day before and warm up to eat.
  
  Serve with rice or butter noodles.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
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  Posted in Casserole, Chicken, Easy recipes, family meals, Food, Hearty Meal, Main Dish, Main Meal, slow cooker, Weeknight dinner | Tagged chicken. casserole, Easy recipes, family meal, le creuset, Mushrooms
- Fantastic Fall Apple Pie
  
  Posted at 4:05 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 23rd
  I have made this apple pie for over 30 years with some changes along the way. A disclaimer this pie is very rich but sometimes you just have to let go and indulge. You can’t each low fat cottage cheese and fruit every day. I just tell myself an extra hot yoga class and this piece of pie has my name on it.
  
  French Custard Apple Pie
  
  Crust
  
  1 3/4 cup flour
  
  1/4 cup sugar
  
  1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
  1/3 lb of butter
  
  2/3 teaspoon salt
  
  6-7 tablespoon apple cider or water
  
  Filling
  
  6 large Granny Smith or Macintosh apples pared and diced (you can use a combination or just one kind of apple. I like the Granny Smith because they are tart and this is a sweet pie)
  
  1 2/3 cup sour cream
  
  1 egg(2 if small)
  
  1 cup sugar
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  2 teaspoon vanilla or 1 tablespoon Brandy
  
  1/3 cup flour
  
  Topping
  
  1/3 cup brown sugar
  
  1/3 cup sugar
  
  1/2 cup flour
  
  1 tablespoon cinnamon
  
  1 cup chopped walnuts
  
  1/2 cup dried crandberries
  
  1 stick butter
  
  Crust: Combine all the ingredients expcept the apple cider in a food procussor, pulse until combined. Add one tablespoon of cider at a time and pulse after each addition. Dough will form a soft ball. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface 2 inches larger than the pie plate, fite a 10 inch pie plate. This is a solf cookie like dough what I do is lightly dust the pie plate with flour before I fit the dough. This will prevent the pie crust from sticking when you cut the pie. Fold and roll pastry under and flute.
  
  Filling: Mix filling ingredients together and fill pie shell. Bake for 450 10 minuetes, then 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Blend topping ingredients together and place on top of pie . bake for additional 15 minuets.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Apples, Baking, Baking, Food | Tagged Apple Pie, Desserts, fall baking
- Luscious Nectarine Blueberry Pie
  
  Posted at 12:36 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 22nd
  LUSCIOUS NECTARINE BLUEBERRY PIE
  
  Luscious end of the season ripe fruit makes the most delectable pies. Who can resist a delicious piece of pie with vanilla ice cream simple but oh so good! I especially love the combination of nectarine and blueberries. I made my own pie crust and the recipe follows. But for a quick and easy pie you can buy the refrigerated pie crust. I like the Pillsbury brand. Don’t be intimidated by a home made pie crust, as I’ve always said, the more you practice the better you become. If time is an issue you can make the pie crust the day before and refrigerate over night, then just roll out the dough the next day, add the filling, bake and in no time you have a wonderful home made pie.
  
  Pie Crust
  
  Makes 2 crusts
  
  3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
  2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 ” cubes
  
  1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  
  1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar
  
  1 Tbsp. salt
  
  Process flour, butter, vegetable shortening, sugar and salt in a food processor until butter is crumbly, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl. Gradually add 3/4 cups ice water, using a folk stir mixture until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
  
  Filling
  
  6 ripe large nectarines(halved, pitted and slice 1/2-inch thick)
  
  1 pint blueberries, washed and picked over
  
  3/4 cups sugar
  
  3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
  
  2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  
  1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
  
  Glaze;
  
  1 egg
  
  1 Tsp. milk
  
  1 Tsp. sugar(for sprinkling)
  
  Heat oven to 425 F and adjust rack to lower to middle position. In a large bowl toss nectarines, blueberries, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice and lemon zest. Set aside for 15 minutes.
  
  Divide dough into two balls, one sightly larger. On a lightly floured surface roll larger pastry ball into a circle about 2 inches larger than 9-inch pie plate. Line pie plate with pastry, trim edge leaving 1 inch overhang. Fill the pie plate with the fruit. Roll out smaller pastry ball for top curst. Place on top of fruit pie. Trim pastry edge leaving an inch overhang. Fold overhang under, then bring up over pie plate rim, pinch to form fluted edges. Brush top with some of the egg glaze. Make a few decorative slits in the top and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 40 minutes. Then brush again with remaining egg glaze, sprinkle sugar and bake for about 5 minutes more until golden brown. Cool on wire rack before serving.
  
  I serve with my favorite vanilla ice cream Breyers!
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Baking, Food, Pie | Tagged BLUEBERRY, BREYERS ICE CREAM, NECTARINE, PIES, Pillsbury Pie crust, VANILLA ICE CREAM
- Baked Eggplant Parmesan
  
  Posted at 4:17 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 20th
  Autumn quietly arrives in New England – crisp mornings turn into warm sunny afternoons with the glorious fall sun setting a few minutes earlier each day: Farmers markets stocked with the last of nature’s bounty before the first frost ends harvesting. Beautiful plump eggplant beckons me as I fill my market basket with copious quantities perfect to make my Baked Eggplant Parmesan. Coming from a long line of Italian cooks I’ve eaten and made this southern Italian dish my entire life. Like my mother I don’t fry my eggplant – I prefer to bake – forgoing the extra fat from frying. And I’ve updated the recipe using Panko bread crumbs for a lighter breading. I love to taste the eggplant, not the breading. One more item – I only use San Marzano tomatoes. I like my sauce sweeter with less acidity. The San Marzano variety of plum tomato grows in the rich volcanic soil of the Sarno River valley, near Mount Vesuvius, resulting in a sweet flesh with low acidity. Its thick skin makes it easy to peel off. Plus, it’s meatier than Romas and other plums, and has fewer seeds: all good things for making sauce. Like French Champagne, San Marzano tomatoes are grown under strict rules designed to protect and promote regional agricultural products. In Italy, D.O.P. or Denominazione di Origine Protetta rules ensure that only growers within a defined area adhering to specific farming and canning methods can sell tomatoes labeled San Marzano. I assure the extra cost is worth producing the most delectable sauce for all your cooking dishes that require canned tomatoes.
  
  BAKED EGGPLANT PARMESAN
  
  INGREDIENTS
  
  Marinara
  
  ¼ cup olive oil
  
  1 head of garlic, cloves crushed
  
  1 large red onion, chopped
  
  ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  
  1 tablespoon tomato paste
  
  ¼ cup dry white wine
  
  2 28-ounce cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes *
  
  ¼ cup torn basil leaves
  
  ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  
  Kosher salt
  
  Eggplant and Assembly
  
  4 pounds Italian eggplants (about 4 medium), peeled, sliced lengthwise ½–¾ inch thick
  
  Kosher salt
  
  3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  
  1½ teaspoon dried oregano
  
  1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
  1½ cups finely grated Parmesan, divided
  
  1½ cups all-purpose flour
  
  5 large eggs, beaten to blend
  
  ½ cup finely chopped basil and parsley, plus basil leaves for serving
  
  6 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, grated (about 1⅓ cups)
  
  8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
  Marinara
  
  Preheat oven to 350°. Heat oil in a large heavy ovenproof pot over medium. Cook garlic, stirring often, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add onion and red pepper flakes, cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste stirring until combined. Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, breaking up with your hands, and their juices; add basil and oregano and stir to combine. Swirl 1½ cups water into one tomato can, then the other, to rinse, and add to pot; season with salt. Simmer for 2–2½ hours stirring occasionally.
  
  Let sauce cool slightly. Pass through the large holes of a food mill or process in a food processor until mostly smooth. Taste and season with salt.
  
  Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
  Eggplant and Assembly
  
  Lightly season eggplant slices all over with salt; place in a single layer on several layers of paper towels inside a rimmed baking sheet. Top with another layer of paper towels and more slices; repeat as needed. Top with a final layer of paper towels. Let eggplant sit until it has released excess liquid, 45–60 minutes. This step gives the eggplant a creamy texture when baked.
  
  Meanwhile, pulse panko, oregano, pepper, and ¾ cup Parmesan in a food processor until very finely ground. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
  
  Preheat oven to 350°. Place flour in another shallow bowl and eggs in a third shallow bowl. Working one at a time, dredge eggplant slices in flour, then dip in egg, allowing excess to drip off. Coat in breadcrumbs, packing all around, then shaking off excess. I don’t fry my eggplant instead I bake. Place eggplant on parchment lined cookie sheet baking for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.
  
  Toss chopped herbs, low-moisture mozzarella, and remaining ¾ cup Parmesan in a medium bowl. Spread 1 cup sauce over the bottom of a 13×9″ baking pan; top with a layer of eggplant slices. Drizzle 1 cup sauce over and sprinkle with one-third of cheese mixture. Add another layer of eggplant, followed by 1 cup sauce and half of remaining cheese mixture. Repeat layers with remaining slices, sauce, and cheese mixture. Cover with foil and bake 45–60 minutes until sauce starts to bubble.
  
  Remove from oven and arrange fresh mozzarella over eggplant. Increase oven temperature to 425° and bake, uncovered, until cheese is bubbling and browned in spots, 15–20 minutes longer. Let rest 30 minutes. Top with basil leaves just before slicing.
  
  Do Ahead: Eggplant Parmesan can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover with foil and chill. Reheat in a 350° oven, uncovering halfway through, until bubbling gently at edges.
  
  * I used Cento San Marzano tomatoes.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Hearty Meal, vegetable bake | Tagged Cento San Marzano tomates, Eggplant, Parmesan
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