This is a take on an eggplant parmesan recipe, with artichoke!
I wanted to utilize 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 or way 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 eggplant 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!
[caption id="attachment_2179" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Eggplant parmesan with artichoke[/caption]Modern Eggplant Parmesan with Artichoke
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 or way 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 eggplant 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!
For the Eggplant
- 1 1/2 lb eggplant (peeled, and sliced)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Parmesan Stock
- 8 cups water
- 1 lb parmesan (rinds)
- salt (to taste)
Parmesan veloute
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 3 cups parmesan stock
- salt (to taste)
Artichoke Barigoule
- 4 large artichokes
- 2 whole lemons
- 1 cup white wine
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 sprig thyme
- 2 each bay leaves
- 2 tsp salt
Garnishes
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (toasted)
- 3 tbsp chives (snipped)
- 1 oz parmesan (grated)
- 2 tbsp balsamic (really good aged)
How to make artichoke barigoule
-
Take the artichokes and pull off the outer tough leaves (wearing gloves helps you not to get pricked). Then take a paring knife, cut off the tops and trim the bottoms of the green outer skin trying to keep the stem intact.
Trim the stems as well of all the green tough skin. If using large artichokes, take a spoon scoop out the choke in the center (hairy looking center). Immediately take one half of a lemon and wipe the artichoke all over to stop the oxidation process. Place in a pot filled with water, white wine, and 1 lemon juiced.
Continue until you have all the artichokes peeled. Then add the rest of the ingredients along with salt. Take a piece of parchment paper and cut a large square. Then fold it over in half and then in half again. Then fold it diagonally into a triangle. Then fold two more times continuing the triangle shape.
Cut the point of the triangle off and cut around the outer edge to fit the size of the pot. Open the paper up (This is called a Cartouche), the paper should be a round circle that fits inside the pot with a whole in the middle of the paper. This is basically a lid for the artichokes to keep them submerged under the water.
Bring the pot up to a slowly to simmer, where the water is just barely bubbling. Cook the artichokes until they are just tender all the way through. Test the artichoke with a cake tester to check the doneness. Take off the heat and let the artichokes cool to room temp.
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 hard until about half of the water is left. Season with some salt so that it taste like parmesan water.
For the parmesan veloute
-
In small sauce pot on medium high heat, 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 the eggplant to be completely 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!