Buca Di Beppo's Eggplant Parmigiana And Manicotti

Recipe Ingredients

4		Manicotti shells
		Bechamel Sauce
2 tablespoons	30ml	Butter
2 tablespoons	30ml	Flour
2 cups	474ml	Milk
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Salt
1		Freshly-ground white pepper
1		Nutmeg
		Manicotti Filling
2		Eggs
12 oz	340g	Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup	73g / 2.6oz	Shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup	73g / 2.6oz	Shredded provolone cheese
1/4 cup	36g / 1.3oz	Grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon	5ml	Salt
1/4 cup	10g / 0.4oz	Chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
		Eggplant Parmigiana
1		Eggplant
6		Eggs
1/2 cup	118ml	Milk
		Flour - as needed
		Breadcrumb Mixture - (3 parts seasoned
		Breadcrumbs plus 1 part Romano cheese)
		Olive oil - for frying
		Marinara sauce - as needed
		Bruschetta Mixture - (diced Roma tomatoes
		Diced onion, chopped garlic, fresh basil,
		Olive oil, and seasoned to taste)
		Shredded provolone - as needed
		For Serving
1		Marinara sauce
		Chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

Recipe Instructions

First make the Bechamel Sauce: Make a roux with butter and flour in a small saute pan. Melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour. Incorporate completely cooking for five minutes over medium heat. Meanwhile, bring milk to a simmer in a sauce pan. When the milk has come to a simmer, add salt, a dash of white pepper and a dash of ground nutmeg. Add the roux. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for ten minutes. Set aside.

Manicotti Filling: Crack two eggs in a bowl. Whip lightly. Mix in ricotta cheese, mozzarella and provolone cheeses, Romano cheese, salt and parsley.

Manicotti shells: Purchase manicotti shells, preferably imported Italian, at the store. Prepare four shells according to package direction, subtracting two minutes of the recommended cooking time. Remove pasta from boiling water and place shells in ice water until completely cold.

Fill the Manicotti shells: Use a pastry bag fill the pasta shells with the manicotti filling. Cover the bottom of a small casserole dish with marinara sauce.

Place the four stuffed manicotti on top of the marinara sauce. Using a tablespoon cover the manicotti with the Bechamel Sauce. Sprinkle lightly with Romano cheese. Bake at 425 degrees, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

While the manicotti is baking, prepare your Eggplant Parmigiana. Cut the top end (the stem) off of the eggplant and slice the eggplant lengthwise so that the slices are approximtely 1/4-inch thick. Do not use the first or last slice. You will want to retain the skin edging of the remaining slices.

Next, make an egg wash with six eggs and 1/2 cup of milk, lightly whip until incorporated. Lightly flour the sliced eggplant, then dip the eggplant in the egg wash and cover completely with the bread crumb mixture.

Fill a saute pan with a 1/2 inch of olive oil; fry the eggplant on medium-high heat. When the fried eggplant is golden brown, remove and place on a cooling rack. Note: Place paper towel underneath the cooling rack.

Place six slices of cooled, fried eggplant on a baking sheet. Top each slice with one ounce of marinara sauce, a small handful of Bruschetta Mixture, and shredded provolone cheese. Bake in a 450 degree oven until the cheese melts.

When the eggplant is done remove from the oven. Using a spatula stack the slices into two stacks of three slices each.

Take a large 15-inch serving platter, cover the bottom of the dish with approximately one pint of hot marinara sauce. Using a spatula carefully remove the manicotti from the casserole dish and place on one half of the plate. On the other half of the plate arrange the two stacks of eggplant parmigiana. Garnish the manicotti with fresh chopped Italian parsley and serve.

This recipe yields 2 servings (four manicotti shells and two stacks of eggplant parmigiana).

Source:
Recipe Archive at http://www.kare11.com

Rating

Average rating:

9 (1 votes)

Submit your rating:

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10

Click a star to rate this recipe.