Taking Matters in hand

Knowing that this baby has her own schedule, and will come when she’s darn good and ready doesn’t mean we can’t influence her decision. We’ve heard a number of home remedies for pushing the process along (as I’m sure all of you out there have as well), but the one that I wasn’t aware of was the magic of the Eggplant.

Not sure what it is, but there’s apparently something in Eggplants that either scares babies out, or gets them so hopped up on tomato and cheese covered goodness they just have to see what we’re doing out here. We’re still early at this point, but perhaps sometime late next week, we begin operation Eggplant Parm.

Ingredients
· 3 medium sized eggplants
· 1 cup flour
· 6 eggs, beaten
· 4 cups fine Italian bread crumbs, seasoned
· Olive oil for sautéing
· 8 cups of marinara sauce (recipe below)
· 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
· 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
· 1 1/2 pounds of mozzarella cheese, shredded
· 2 cups of ricotta cheese

Directions
1. After you wash the eggplant, slice them into 1/4-inch thick slices. You may choose to peel the eggplant before you slice it. However, you may want to leave the skin on since it contains a lot of vitamins.
2. Place the eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt, then cover with another layer of paper towels and hold it down with something heavy to drain the excess moisture. Let them sit for about an hour.
3. Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dust with flour, dip in beaten eggs, then coat well with breadcrumbs.
4. Sauté in preheated olive oil on both sides until golden brown.
5. In baking dish, alternate layers of marinara sauce, eggplant slices, ricotta, parmesan and Romano cheeses, until you fill the baking dish, about 1/8 inch from the top. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese, and bake for 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Scalini's Marinara Sauce

Ingredients
· 2 Tablespoons of chopped garlic
· 3 Tablespoons of olive oil
· 8 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
· 1 cup onions, chopped
· 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley
· 1 teaspoon oregano
· 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
· 1/8 cup of fresh chopped sweet basil
· Pinch of thyme
· Pinch of rosemary
· One teaspoon salt
· One teaspoon black pepper

Directions
1. Lightly sauté the onions in olive oil in large pot for a few minutes.
2. Add garlic and sauté another minute.
3. Add tomatoes and bring sauce to a boil, then turn heat low.
4. Add remaining ingredients, stir, cover and let simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Recipe courtesy of John Bogino, Scalini's Italian Restaurant, Smyrna, Ga.www.scalinis.com