The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (137 page)
Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Frying the eggplant for this classic Italian dish is not only time-consuming but can also make the dish heavy and dull. In the hope of eliminating the grease as well as some of the prep time, we opted to cook the breaded eggplant in the oven after salting and draining the slices (which removed bitterness and improved texture). Baking the eggplant on preheated and oiled baking sheets resulted in crisp, golden brown slices, and a traditional bound breading of flour, egg, and fresh bread crumbs worked best for giving the eggplant a crisp coating. While the eggplant was in the oven, we made a quick tomato sauce using garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, and canned diced tomatoes. We layered the sauce, baked breaded eggplant slices, and mozzarella in a baking dish and left the top layer of eggplant mostly unsauced, which ensured it would crisp up nicely in the oven.
SERVES 6 TO 8
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.
EGGPLANT
2 | pounds eggplant, sliced into ¹⁄ |
Kosher salt and pepper | |
8 | slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters |
2 | ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup) |
1 | cup all-purpose flour |
4 | large eggs |
6 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
SAUCE
3 | (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes |
2 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
4 | garlic cloves, minced |
¹⁄ | teaspoon red pepper flakes |
¹⁄ | cup chopped fresh basil |
Kosher salt and pepper |
8 | ounces whole-milk or part-skim mozzarella, shredded (2 cups) |
1 | ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (¹⁄ |
10 | fresh basil leaves, roughly torn |
1. FOR THE EGGPLANT:
Line baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels and set aside. Toss eggplant and 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons salt together in bowl, then transfer to colander. Let sit until eggplant releases about 2 tablespoons liquid, 30 to 45 minutes. Wipe excess salt from eggplant, then arrange on prepared baking sheet. Cover with another triple layer of paper towels and firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible.
2.
While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper-middle 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 15 pulses (you should have about 4 cups). Transfer crumbs to pie plate or shallow dish and stir in Parmesan, and ¹⁄
2
teaspoon pepper; set aside. Wipe out food processor bowl (do not wash) and set aside.
3.
Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in large zipper-lock bag and shake to combine. Beat eggs in second pie plate or shallow dish. Place 8 to 10 eggplant slices in bag with flour, seal bag, and shake to coat eggplant. Remove eggplant slices, shaking off excess flour, then dip in eggs, letting excess egg run off. Then coat evenly with bread-crumb mixture. Set breaded slices on wire rack set in rimmed 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 baking 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 pepper flakes in large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and garlic is light golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in processed tomatoes and remaining can 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 with salt and pepper to taste.
6. TO ASSEMBLE:
Spread 1 cup tomato sauce over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit. Distribute 1 cup sauce over eggplant, then sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Layer in remaining eggplant, then dot with 1 cup sauce, leaving majority of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp. Sprinkle with Parmesan and remaining 1 cup 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.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Most stuffed tomatoes are mealy and bland, with a stuffing of waterlogged tasteless bread. We were after ripe, sun-drenched summer tomatoes filled with garden-fresh herbs, garlicky bread crumbs, and sharp cheese. To combat sogginess, we salted and drained the tomatoes prior to stuffing. We used homemade bread crumbs as a base for a stuffing that also included olive oil, cheese, garlic, and fresh basil. We generously filled the tomatoes and baked for just 20 minutes for tender tomatoes topped with a crisp, golden crust.
SERVES 6
Make sure not to use tomatoes that are too ripe, as they will not hold their shape.
6 | firm, ripe large tomatoes (8 ounces each), ¹⁄ |
1 | teaspoon kosher salt |
1 | slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters |
3 | tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil |
1¹⁄ | ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (³⁄ |
¹⁄ | cup shredded fresh basil |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
Pepper |
1.
Line baking sheet with double layer of paper towels. Sprinkle inside of each tomato with salt and place upside down on baking sheet. Let sit to remove excess moisture, about 30 minutes.
2.
Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish with aluminum foil; set aside. Pulse bread in food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, Parmesan, basil, and garlic in small bowl; season with pepper to taste.
3.
Pat inside of each tomato dry with paper towels. Arrange tomatoes in single layer in prepared baking dish. Brush top cut edges of tomatoes with 1 teaspoon oil. Mound stuffing into tomatoes (about ¹⁄
4
cup per tomato) and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Substitute 3 ounces crumbled goat cheese (³⁄
4
cup) for Parmesan, omit basil, and add 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons minced fresh oregano, and 3 tablespoons chopped black olives to bread-crumb mixture in step 2.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
All too often, stuffed peppers aren’t worth eating. They turn out either too mushy or too firm and are full of uninteresting, greasy fillings. We wanted stuffed peppers that would yield a tender bite yet retain enough structure to stand up proudly on the plate, with a simple yet gratifying filling, neither humdrum nor packed with odd ingredients. We found that blanching the peppers for three minutes and allowing them to finish cooking with residual heat gave us the sturdiness we needed. For the filling, we updated the classic 1950s filling of rice and ground beef with sautéed onions, garlic, and cheese, then came up with several flavorful variations. Cooking the rice in the same water we used to blanch the peppers kept things moving. A little cheese helped bind the filling, while drained diced tomatoes added the right amount of moisture.
See “KEEPING STUFFED PEPPERS UPRIGHT” illustrations that follow recipe.
SERVES 4
This recipe works well for four people as either a light main course or as side dish.
4 | red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (6 ounces each), ¹⁄ |
Salt and pepper | |
¹⁄ | cup long-grain white rice |
1¹⁄ | tablespoons olive oil |
1 | onion, chopped fine |
12 | ounces 85 percent lean ground beef |
3 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained, with ¹⁄ |
5 | ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1¹⁄ |
2 | tablespoons chopped fresh parsley |
¹⁄ | cup ketchup |
1.
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add bell peppers and 1 tablespoon salt. Cook until peppers just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove peppers from pot, drain off excess water, and place peppers, cut side up, on large paper towel–lined plate. Return water to boil, add rice, and boil until tender, about 13 minutes. Drain rice, then transfer to large bowl; set aside.
2.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
3.
Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, breaking beef into small pieces with spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to bowl with rice, stir in tomatoes, 1 cup cheese, and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4.
Combine ketchup and reserved tomato juice in small bowl. Place peppers, cut side up, in 9-inch square baking dish. Using soupspoon, divide filling evenly among peppers. Spoon 2 tablespoons ketchup mixture over each filled pepper and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese. Bake until cheese is browned and filling is heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Substitute 12 ounces ground chicken for beef, cooking until opaque in step 3, about 4 minutes. Substitute 4 ounces smoked shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup) for the Monterey Jack, adding all 4 ounces to rice mixture in step 3, and substitute 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil for parsley. Do not reserve any juice when draining diced tomatoes and omit ketchup. Instead, pulse 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, crust removed, and bread torn into quarters, in food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Sprinkle stuffed peppers with bread crumbs before baking.
Substitute 12 ounces ground lamb for beef and add 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, ¹⁄
2
teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¹⁄
2
teaspoon red pepper flakes to pan with lamb, cooking until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in ¹⁄
4
cup currants and 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger with garlic in step 3. Substitute 4 ounces crumbled feta (1 cup) for Monterey Jack, adding all 4 ounces to rice mixture in step 3, and substitute 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro for parsley. Do not reserve any juice when draining diced tomatoes and omit ketchup. Instead, spoon ¹⁄
3
cup chopped, toasted salted cashews over filled peppers before baking.