Eggplant with Artichoke and Parmesan
This is a take on eggplant parmesan recipe utilizing the leftover parmesan rinds that I had been collecting in my cheese drawer. I made a stock (water) just from the parmesan rinds ( I had a lot). Why throw those rinds away when you can stockpile them and add some flavor to your food. You can easily make a soup out of this broth as well, or pasta sauce. Don’t throw food away, find an option to utilizing those “throw away” items, that is one of the secretes to chef’s arsenal’s that restaurants use. Make something out of nothing. I didn’t want to fry the eggplant so I simply peeled, salted and roasted them. Salting eggplants can take the edge off of eggplant. It doesn’t take a lot of time, roughly 30 minutes but that helps take away the bitterness that eggplant can sometimes have. I added artichokes because we had them growing in the garden which gave a nice contrast to the recipe. Here is how to make eggplant parmesan, I hope you enjoy it!
Recipe ingredients
1 eggplant peeled and salted
Parmesan stock
8 cups water
1 lb of Parmesan rind
Salt
Parmesan veloute
2 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of flour
3 cups of Parmesan stock
Salt to taste
1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs toasted
3 tbsp chives snipped
1 oz grated Parmesan
2 tbsp of aged balsamic
Recipe instructions,
For the parmesan stock,
Place rinds in a pot of water. Place on the stove and bring it to a boil. Turn down and let it simmer until about half of the water is left. Season with some salt so that it taste like parmesan water. Then in small sauce pot add butter and melt completely. Once melted using a whisk add the flour to make a roux. Then ladle one cup at a time of the parmesan broth to the roux, making sure to whisk so that no lumps form. Cook for 30 seconds, and then add the next cup of broth. Repeat the process one more time, stirring to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken (if the sauce becomes to thick you can add a little more broth). Season with salt and keep warm.
For the eggplant,
Peel and slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Place the rounds on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. For the eggplant rounds season well with salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes and then rinse them off and pat dry. Drizzle heavily with the olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Then take another piece of parchment paper and place on top of the eggplant. Place in 325 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the eggplant is soft but still retains its shape. You don’t want mush. Take out and keep warm.
To finish,
Follow the instructions on how to cook the artichokes, keep them warm in the cooking liquid. To plate add a large spoonful of the parmesan sauce to plate. Then add a few slices of seasoned artichoke on top of the sauce. Add a few slices of the roasted eggplant. Finish the eggplant with parmesan cheese, toasted bread crumbs, and chives. Drizzle everything with a little balsamic glaze and olive oil, serve and enjoy!
