Last month I was in Germany. The last thing I expected to find was Italian food, but I did and it was delicious! In Konigstein, a small town outside of Frankfurt, my mother and I stopped at a restaurant, Lucullus.
For my appetizer, I started out with an eggplant dish, honestly I can't remember the name. After my first bite, I decided I had to recreate the dish..... here it is...
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Starting with the sauce, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan, add 4 minced garlic cloves to the pan and saute the garlic until it starts to lightly brown. Add 1/2 tsp salt and some fresh ground pepper. Add 2 chopped roma tomatoes and cook them with the garlic until the tomatoes started to get soft. Then add tomato puree and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes. 5 minutes before serving the sauce, add 1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil. Taste the sauce to ensure it does not need any more salt or pepper. You can also add 1/4 tsp chili flakes to add a little kick to the sauce.
Slice the eggplant 1/16th of an inch.
Sprinkle salt, fresh ground pepper on the slices of eggplant. Coat the slice of eggplant in flour, then dip into the bowl of beat eggs and coat in bread crumbs (I used Italian bread crumbs to add a little extra flavor).
Lightly fry the eggplant in a hot pan of vegetable or olive oil. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels, and place the lightly fried slices of eggplant on the cookie sheet, allowing for some of the oil to soak up. Right before you serve the eggplant, pop the cookie sheet with the eggplant in the oven on low (200 degrees) for 5 minutes.
Slice fresh mozzarella cheese into 1/4 inch slices.
Take a small/medium size plate. Smear the tomato sauce across the plate, take a slice of the fried eggplant, wrap the eggplant around the slice of fresh mozarella cheese. Place the eggplant on the plate of sauce, repeat with another slice of eggplant. Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Finished product.... Thyme 2 Taste!
Ingredients..
Sauce:
1 tbsp Olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
2 roma tomatoes, chopped into cubes
salt and pepper to taste
14 oz tomato puree/crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp freshly chopped basil
Eggplant:
1 medium eggplant
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beat with 1 tbsp milk
1 cup breadcrumbs - plain or italian
salt and pepper
1 lb fresh mozzarella, salted
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup freshly chopped basil - enough to sprinkle on the eggplant
Makes about 6 plates/servings.
Don't be too intimidated to make your own sauce... it's not that hard and once you make it the first time, you will realize how easy it is and how much better the final product will taste.
For my appetizer, I started out with an eggplant dish, honestly I can't remember the name. After my first bite, I decided I had to recreate the dish..... here it is...
Starting with the sauce, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan, add 4 minced garlic cloves to the pan and saute the garlic until it starts to lightly brown. Add 1/2 tsp salt and some fresh ground pepper. Add 2 chopped roma tomatoes and cook them with the garlic until the tomatoes started to get soft. Then add tomato puree and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes. 5 minutes before serving the sauce, add 1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil. Taste the sauce to ensure it does not need any more salt or pepper. You can also add 1/4 tsp chili flakes to add a little kick to the sauce.
Slice fresh mozzarella cheese into 1/4 inch slices.
Take a small/medium size plate. Smear the tomato sauce across the plate, take a slice of the fried eggplant, wrap the eggplant around the slice of fresh mozarella cheese. Place the eggplant on the plate of sauce, repeat with another slice of eggplant. Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Finished product.... Thyme 2 Taste!
Ingredients..
Sauce:
1 tbsp Olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
2 roma tomatoes, chopped into cubes
salt and pepper to taste
14 oz tomato puree/crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp freshly chopped basil
Eggplant:
1 medium eggplant
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beat with 1 tbsp milk
1 cup breadcrumbs - plain or italian
salt and pepper
1 lb fresh mozzarella, salted
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup freshly chopped basil - enough to sprinkle on the eggplant
Makes about 6 plates/servings.
Don't be too intimidated to make your own sauce... it's not that hard and once you make it the first time, you will realize how easy it is and how much better the final product will taste.
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