Baked Country Vegetables
"From Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking"
- Ready In:
- 1hr
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 1 lb medium eggplant, thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1⁄2 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for salting the eggplant
- vegetable oil, for frying the vegetables
- all-purpose flour, for dredging
- 1 lb medium zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon softened unsalted butter, for the baking dish
- 8 ounces low moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup grated grana padano (Reggiano cheese) or 1 cup parmigiano (Reggiano cheese)
- 1 1⁄2 cups marinara sauce
directions
- Season the eggplant slices liberally with salt. Fan out in a large colander. Set a large bowl inside, weighted with cans, to help press the excess liquid and bitterness from the eggplant. After about 20 minutes, rinse and drain the eggplant, and pat dry.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil over medium--high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, dredge the eggplant in flour, tapping off the excess, and fry in batches until browned and crisp on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Season the zucchini with the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and dredge in flour. Fry until browned and crisp on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Drain with the eggplant.
- Grease an 8x8 inch ceramic or glass baking dish with the butter. In a bowl, toss together the mozzarella and Grana Padano. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish. Fan out a layer of half the vegetables, like shingles. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Spread another 1/2 cup of the sauce. Fan the remaining vegetables out, then cover with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and the cheese is browned and crusty, about 30 minutes.
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