Free time on your hands?

Get into the kitchen and start cooking.

I assume most of us are foregoing takeout and creating our own meals.

In California grocery delivery is absurd.

You can select 30 items and only receive 4…most of which are not necessities such as eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables.

The last two delivery times I have been offered are 5am and 11pm.

The grocery stores are still crowded…a down time does not seem to exist and our fancy pants grocer, Gelson’s, just shut down for a day because a staff member came down with Coronavirus.

Thursdays on my blog are restaurant reviews days but that is just a fantasy for the foreseeable future.

I am preparing three meals daily so I thought I would pass along a delicious, easy recipe.

I know specific ingredients can be difficult to acquire, but most of the ingredients are available.

I could not find large eggplants anywhere so they were substituted with Japanese eggplant which turned out to be sweeter and provided a much faster cooking time.

Eggplant ParmigianaPrepped and oven ready in 30 minutes

1 large eggplant or 2 small Japanese eggplant

sliced mozzarella

sliced provolone

1 jar tomato sauce. I usually makes my own sauce, but not at this time. A delicious substitute is any Rao tomato or vodka sauce. If unavailable any tomato sauce will do preferably with low sodium.

Panko or bread crumbs. I prefer Panko because they are lighter in texture.

2 eggs

You need 2 mixing bowls or baking pans, a frying pan and a casserole dish.

Beat the eggs

Place a 1/2 cup Panko or bread crumbs to start in a flat pan.

Slice eggplant in 1inch diameter.

Dip eggplant in egg. Coat both sides. When eggplant is covered in egg batter, coat both sides by dredging in Panko crumbs.

Heat large frying pan with Extra Virgin Olive Oil or vegetable oil. I like to grind black pepper into the oil.

Heat on medium heat and place eggplant circles in the pan. Brown well on both sides and then allow to drain on paper towel.

Cover bottom of casserole dish with tomato sauce and start layering eggplant slices covering the bottom of the dish.

Next layer a mixture of mozzarella and provolone on top of the eggplant. Use as much or little cheese as you like. My casserole dish is medium size so I place 1 slice of mozzarella and 1 slice of provolone on top of each layer and I cut the slices in half.

Make 2 layers and then top with tomato sauce.

Pop in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes to heat up mixture.

Garnish with fresh basil if you have.

Voila, a delish meal. It yields 4 servings.

Time spent 30 minutes.

Eggplant Parm Sandwich 

If I have leftover eggplant I make an eggplant Parmesan sandwich the next day. I toast bread in the pan and then spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on one side and a slice of cheese on the other while heating the eggplant in the same pan.  When cheese melts add the heated eggplant to the sandwich, remove and enjoy.