Italian Cuisine

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Italian Cream Puffs


Makes about 18 puffs
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 30-35 minutes


Filling:

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, or more to taste
1/2 pound ricotta cheese, drained
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup candied fruit, finely chopped (optional)

Puffs:

1 cup water
1/2 Butter Flavor* CRISCO Stick or 1/2 cup Butter Flavor CRISCO all-vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon fresh grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon fresh grated orange peel
Confectioners' sugar or melted chocolate for garnish (optional)

For filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream and confectionerssugar; whip until stiff soft peaks form. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, vanilla, orange extract and optional candied fruit; stir until well combined. Gently fold cream into cheese mixture. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For puffs, heat oven to 450ºF. Combine water, shortening, granulated sugar and salt in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat; stir well. Add flour, stirring vigorously, until mixture leaves sides of pan. Remove from heat; let cool. Slowly add eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition, to cooled flour mixture. Stir until mixture is smooth and leaves the side of the pan. Add lemon and orange peel; mix well. Spray baking sheets with Crisco No-Stick Cooking Spray. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter 2 inches apart onto baking sheets.

Bake at 450ºF for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on cooling rack.

To assemble, cut puffs in half horizontally. Spoon ricotta filling on bottom half. Cover with top half. Drizzle with melted chocolate or dust with confectioners sugar, if desired.

[b-man]

Lightning FAST Spaghetti and Meatballs

Bucatini for 8 (check the box for portions) or use regular spaghetti, penne or mostaccioli

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 Tbls. olive oil
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
1 Tbl minced garlic
3 large jars (about 25 or 26 oz. each) of jar spaghetti sauce. Mix these. Use all red sauces but mix the flavors. You might get one that's mushroom and peppers, one that's four cheese, one that's spicy. You get the idea. When you mix them, your sauce automatically has more ingredients in it.
1 Tbls. Italian herbs

1 bag (38-oz.) Rosina Frozen Italian Style Meatballs (76 meatballs per bag). Make SURE you get Italian Style meatballs and not cocktail meatballs. Rosina is not the only brand you can buy. It's just my current favorite.

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (parmesan/asiago/romano mix--all work), plus more on the side

First thing, put on your large pot of water to boil for the spaghetti. That takes the longest.

Heat your olive oil in the bottom of a large soup pot. Add your peppers and onions. Saute until they are all softened (3 to 5 minutes). Add the garlic. Stir the garlic around and then open the jars of sauce. Pour them in. Then right from the bag (frozen), toss in your meatballs. (I know this seems weird. I used to brown them first. Believe me, you don't need to.) Add your Italian herbs. Turn the heat on high until you get the whole thing just boiling. Stir periodically so it doesn't start to stick to the bottom. You have to keep it loose so the cold stuff on the top gets moved to the bottom. Once it's all hot, turn it down to medium and just let it "meld" for about 30 minutes. In that time, the meatballs thaw out, everything gets hot and the sauce is ready to go. You can keep it warm longer or turn it off and reheat it after your guests arrive.

When the water is boiling, put a teaspoon of salt (optional) in the water for your spaghetti. Cook your noodles according to the instructions on the box. When they are al dente (just done and slightly chewy), drain them and turn them out onto one side of your platter. Put your sauce with the meatballs on the other side of the platter. (I use the big Thanksgiving platter. You can use two big heat-proof bowls too.) Sprinkle all with parmesan and serve steaming hot. Have your extra parmesan ready to serve. You can have your Caesar salad and garlic bread ready to serve too if you are serving those.


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Whole Wheat Pasta Marinara

This is a fat-free, sugar-free variation on a recipe I use a lot. If you're not hell-bent on making it totally fat-free, I recommend cooking the onions and mushrooms and garlic in olive oil. Serve with fat-free Parmesan cheese and, if desired, hot sauce.

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
0.5 pound sliced mushrooms
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons Italian seasoning


1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2. Drain diced tomatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons of the liquid. Microwave onion, garlic and mushrooms, and reserved liquid in a large, loosely covered dish for 2 to 3 minutes until onions are clear.

3. Add tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and tomatoes to onion mixture and microwave 5 to 6 minutes more or until heated through. Pour over cooked pasta.

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Creamy Polenta

Polenta, a mush made from cornmeal, is an Italian favorite. It's delicious served plain as a side dish or topped with a favorite tomato sauce. You can also use it as a base ingredient in casseroles instead of noodles.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups
cornmeal 1/2 cup
salt 1/2 tsp
grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup


1. Combine the broth and cornmeal in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat until thickened but creamy, about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir often to prevent sticking. Taste and add salt, if desired.

2. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle with cheese.

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Italian Pork Chops


These Italian-flavored chops are ready in minutes!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/3 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup Progresso® garlic-herb dry bread crumbs
4 pork boneless loin chops, 1/2 inch thick (1 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil


1. Place Bisquick mix, dressing and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Coat pork chops with Bisquick mix. Dip coated pork chops into dressing, then coat with bread crumbs.

2. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork in oil about 5 minutes or until golden brown; reduce heat to low. Carefully turn pork. Cook 10 to 15 minutes longer or until pork is no longer pink in center. Serve immediately.

Note:
Use regular Italian dressing rather than fat-free for more flavor and a better coating.

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[b-man]

Slow Cooker Lasagna


Home-cooked lasagna on a weeknight? Yes! Thanks to the slow cooker and no precooking of the noodles!


Ingredients:

1 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 cans (15 ounces each) Italian-style tomato sauce
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
15 uncooked lasagna noodles


1. Cook sausage and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, basil and salt.

2. Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.)

3. Spoon one-fourth of the sausage mixture into 6-quart slow cooker; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining sausage mixture.

4. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender.

5. Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into desired sized pieces.

note:
Something as simple as chopped fresh parsley will dress up this lasagna. Sprinkle on the parsley just before serving.

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Italian-Style Lamb Shanks

Tender lamb shanks in red wine with onion, garlic and tomatoes.

Suggestions: Casseroles like these are good made a day ahead. Cool quickly, then refrigerate. To serve, remove excess fat off the top, then reheat thoroughly.

Serves: 4 person(s)
Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 2hrs 10 mins

Ingredients:

8 baby pickling onions, skins removed
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup red wine
1 cup water
1 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp tomato paste, reduced salt
14 oz can tomatoes in juice, chopped
2 Tbsp extra water
1 tsp beef stock powder
1 tsp garlic stock powder
1 Tbsp cornstarch
4 lamb shanks, trimmed (10 oz each)
1 pkt french onion soup mix
1 roasted red pepper, skinned and cut into quarters
1 roasted yellow pepper, skinned and cut into quarters


Preheat oven to 325?F.

Place lamb shanks, onions and garlic cloves in a large casserole dish.

Combine the soup mix, wine, water, thyme, tomato paste and stock powders in a bowl, then stir in the tomatoes and juice. Pour over the lamb shanks. Cover casserole. Cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours, stirring once after about 1 hour.

Add the peppers; cover and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Skim any excess fat from the top of the sauce. Combine the cornstarch and water, and stir into the casserole.

Return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Serve with couscous or mashed potatoes.

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Porcini Risotto


This classic Italian dish is rich with the flavor of dried porcini mushrooms. Adding truffle-flavored olive oil at the end of cooking adds a depth that is unbelievable. Always remember when making risotto to cook the rice until it is creamy but still has a bit of a bite. With a large green salad, this dish is elegant enough for guests.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:


1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
3-4 cups warm vegetable stock
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons truffle-flavored olive oil (optional) or extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Rinse the dried mushrooms in cold water, drain, and add to warm vegetable stock to soften.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until soft. Add the rice and stir to combine. Add the mushrooms, cut into smaller pieces if necessary. Reduce heat to medium-low.

3. Add the stock, one ladleful at a time, as you stir the rice. As the rice absorbs the liquid, add more. After 15 minutes, test the rice for doneness.

4. When the rice is tender but not mushy, remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and add truffle-flavored olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.


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Italian Sausage and Cremini Mushroom Pasta



Ingredients:

1 leek, cleaned and sliced into quarter-inch "circles" (white and light green parts only)
1 Tbl olive oil
8 oz Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered. (These are the same as baby Portobello mushrooms.)
1 Italian sausage per person (Hot, mild or medium--you choose), cut into one-inch chunks
Pasta for 2 (You choose linguini, penne or spaghetti. Follow the package for amount to cook.)
1 25-oz jar of pasta sauce. (I use tomato vodka sauce, but just about any tomato-based sauce will do.)
3/4 cup whipping cream or half-and-half
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

In a large saute pan, cook the leek and sliced sausage in olive oil on Medium until the leek is soft and the sausage is half cooked. You'll still see some pink in the middle of the sausage. (About 4 minutes.) Add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms give off their liquid and the sausage is cooked all the way through. (About 5 minutes more.) Cut a sausage piece open to see that the pink is gone.

While this is all cooking, you can cook your pasta in boiling water. Follow the package instructions for cooking times because, depending on which pasta you choose, cooking time will vary.

Back to the sauce... Add the cream and the pasta sauce from the jar to your saute pan. Stir to combine. Heat just until hot and just simmering. Turn off.

Drain your pasta and put in a large bowl. Pour the sauce on top and stir to combine. Or, alternatively, put your plain pasta on the plate or in individual pasta bowls and pour a portion of sauce on top. It just depends on how you like your pasta served.

Note: These are huge servings because of the amount of sauce you have. You can save some sauce or put in another sausage or two to stretch to serve 3 or 4 people.

Sprinkle grated parmesan on top to your taste. Savor the creamy yet tangy sauce and enjoy!

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[b-man]

ITALIAN DRESSING MIX
(Compare to Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix)


Ingredients:

1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried parsley leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme or marjoram
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pinch black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk or a fork until fully incorporated. Place in the center of a square piece of aluminum foil. Fold the foil into a small envelope to create an airtight packet and label. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within six months.

Yield: 1 package (4 tablespoons).

To Use:
1 package (4 tablespoons) Italian dressing mix
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Put all ingredients into a bowl, cruet or pint jar and stir or shake until well blended. Cover and refrigerate approximately 30 minutes before serving. Yield: about 1 cup of dressing. Tip: This recipe multiplies well. Mix all of the ingredients very well and then measure out 4 tablespoons of the mix for each of your individual packets.


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Garlic Crostini


Ingredients:

1 French baguette
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 plum tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Slices of mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil for garnish

Slice baguette into 1/4 inch slices. Brush slices with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. Combine garlic, tomatoes, black olives and salt and pepper together and mix well. Place a slice of cheese on each slice of baguette and top with tomato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Serve warm.


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Italian Riboletta Soup

Riboletta, roughly translated in Italian, means re-boiled minestrone soup with bread slices in it. This is an excellent version, brimming with vegetables, and baked for the final 30 minutes of cooking with parmesan toasts nestled on top.

Serves 8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 90 minutes


Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 potato, peeled and diced
2-1/2 cups cooked white beans
6 slices French or Italian-style bread
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese



Directions
1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onions, garlic, celery and carrot until the onion is soft.

2. Stir in bay leaf, parsley, chicken stock, water, tomatoes, thyme, cabbage, potato, and cooked beans. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes, or until beans are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(1175 degrees C). In a 4 quart casserole dish, place 1/3 of the mixture over the bottom. Layer 3 of the stale pieces of bread over the top. Place another 1/3 of the soup mixture over the bread followed by remaining 3 slices o
4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until soup is bubbling and cheese is light golden.



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Meat Filled Cannelloni


Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 eggs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
4 oz. Canadian bacon, diced
4 oz. prosciutto, diced
1/4 cup fresh parsley
Extra grated Parmesan cheese
1 16-oz. jar marinara sauce

Heat oil in a skillet and brown ground beef (We used ground buffalo. It tastes great and is very low in fat), add onion and garlic and saute until tender. Add dry sherry and cook for several minutes over low heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. In a food processor, process meat mixture along with eggs, cheese, Canadian bacon, prosciutto and fresh parsley. Process until smooth but still somewhat crumbly. The next step is to fill 4 x 5-inch flat cooked pasta sheets with mixture. You may buy pasta sheets or make then on your own, recipe follows.

Pasta Recipe

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 Tbsp. olive oil
5 eggs, beaten
Pasta Press

Place both flours in a food processor and pulse together. Add eggs and olive oil and pulse until a smooth dough ball forms. Place dough ball on a lightly floured surface and knead for several minutes. Separate dough into 4 equal parts and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Remove one part of the dough at a time and knead slightly. Flatten out and fold into a rectangle and start through a pasta press. Start on the highest setting and run the pasta through several times, then switch to the next setting and run through only once, ending with the next to last setting. You should end up with a long sheet of pasta that is approximately 4 inches wide and several feet long. Cut the pasta into 5 inch sheets. Place pasta sheets in boiling water for only a couple of minutes (fresh past cooks very fast). Place cooked pasta sheets in cold water to stop cooking process. Remove and pat dry before filling.

If you a using dry pasta, cook according to manufacturer's instructions and then drain. To fill cannelloni, spread 2 Tbsp. of mixture on each sheet and roll up. Place the marinara sauce along the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish and place each filled cannelloni seam side down in the pan. You may need two pans because this recipe makes a lot. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.


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Homemade Chocolate Biscotti

These hard, Italian cookies are loaded with flavor, not calories. Dried cherries add a little chewiness; the almonds, a little crunch.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fat-free egg substitute
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup whole almonds, roughly chopped
2 tbsp flour, for dusting

Arrange rack in oven's center; preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.


Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in medium bowl; stir in egg substitute and vanilla, then cherries and almonds.


Dust a clean work surface with flour; turn out dough and knead a few turns. Divide dough in half; roll out two logs, each 8 inches long and 1-inch-thick. Place logs 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet at least 30 minutes.


Slice logs with a sharp, serrated knife into ¾-inch-thick cookies. Place cookies cut-side down on baking sheet; bake for 8 minutes more. Turn cookies over; continue baking 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes, then transfer to finish cooling on a wire rack.

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Spaghetti with Olive Pesto

This black pesto is called olivada in Italy. Make sure to use high-quality olives in this recipe. The anchovy adds flavor but not fishiness to the pesto and we recommend its inclusion.

Serves 4 to 6


Ingredients:

3 medium cloves garlic , unpeeled
1 1/2 cups kalamata olives , pitted
1 medium shallot , chopped coarse
8 fresh basil leaves (large)
1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
1 anchovy fillet , rinsed (optional)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese , grated (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
table salt and ground black pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1 lemon , cut into wedges (optional)


1. Toast the garlic in a small, dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the garlic is softened and spotty brown, about 8 minutes; when cool, remove and discard the skins.

2. In a food processor, pulse the toasted garlic, olives, shallot, basil, parsley, anchovy, Parmesan, olive oil, and lemon juice, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the workbowl. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a stockpot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta, stir to separate, and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water, and return the pasta to the stockpot. Stir 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water into the pesto and then stir the pesto into the pasta. Toss, adding more pasta cooking water as needed. Serve immediately, passing the lemon wedges and extra Parmesan at the table.

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Eggplant Parmesan

Use kosher salt when salting the eggplant. The coarse grains don't dissolve as readily as the fine grains of regular table salt, so any excess can be easily wiped away. To be time-efficient, use the 30 to 45 minutes during which the salted eggplant sits to prepare the breading, cheeses, and sauce.

serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

Eggplant

2 pounds globe eggplant (2 medium eggplants), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 tablespoon kosher salt
8 slices high-quality white bread (about 8 ounces), torn into quarters
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Tomato Sauce

3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 generous tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
Table salt and ground black pepper


additional
8 ounces whole milk mozzarella or part-skim mozzarella, shredded (2 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
10 fresh basil leaves torn, for garnish




1. FOR THE EGGPLANT: Toss half of eggplant slices and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt in large bowl until combined; transfer salted eggplant to large colander set over bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant and kosher salt, placing second batch in colander on top of first. Let stand until eggplant releases about 2 tablespoons liquid, 30 to 45 minutes. Arrange eggplant slices on triple layer paper towels; cover with another triple layer paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible, then wipe off excess salt.

2. While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor to fine, even crumbs, about fifteen 1-second pulses (you should have about 4 cups). Transfer crumbs to pie plate and stir in 1 cup Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside. Wipe out bowl (do not wash) and set aside.

3. Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in large zipper-lock bag; shake to combine. Beat eggs in second pie plate. Place 8 to 10 eggplant slices in bag with flour; seal bag and shake to coat eggplant. Remove eggplant slices, shaking off excess flour, dip in eggs, let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; set breaded slices on wire rack set over baking sheet. Repeat with remaining eggplant.

4. Remove preheated baking sheets from oven; add 3 tablespoons oil to each sheet, tilting to coat evenly with oil. Place half of breaded eggplant on each sheet in single layer; bake until eggplant is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes, switching and rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes, and flipping eggplant slices with wide spatula after 20 minutes. Do not turn off oven.

5. FOR THE SAUCE: While eggplant bakes, process 2 cans diced tomatoes in food processor until almost smooth, about 5 seconds. Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and garlic is light golden, about 3 minutes; stir in processed and remaining can of diced tomatoes. Bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes (you should have about 4 cups). Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. TO ASSEMBLE: Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit; distribute 1 cup sauce over eggplant; sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Layer in remaining eggplant and dot with 1 cup sauce, leaving majority of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp; sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and cheese is browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; scatter basil over top, and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce separately.


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[b-man]

Pasta with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Bread Crumbs


Ingredients:

Salt and pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (use lesser amount if
using meat)
1/4 cup diced pancetta, guanciale or bacon, optional
1 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
2 small-to-medium eggplants, about 12 oz., in 1/2" to 1" chunks
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
6 small or 3 medium tomatoes, about 12 ounces, cored, seeded and
in 1/2" to 1" chunks
1 to 2 teaspoons thinly sliced garlic
Chopped fresh basil or parsley for garnish

1. Set a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put half the oil
in a large skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Cook meat, if you
are using it, stirring occasionally, until just about crisp.
Remove with a slotted spoon. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring
almost constantly, until nicely browned, 3 to 5 minutes; season
them with a bit of salt and pepper as they cook. Remove with a
slotted spoon and add remaining oil.

2. Cook eggplant, stirring occasionally and seasoning with salt and
pepper, until browned and tender, about 15 minutes. When it is
done, begin cooking pasta. Add tomatoes and garlic to skillet and
cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 10 minutes.
By this time, pasta will be just about tender; when it is, drain
it.

3. Toss pasta with eggplant-tomato mixture, bread crumbs and meat, if
you used it. Taste and adjust seasoning, garnish, and serve.