ON20, a restaurant located in downtown Hartford, has a new farm to table menu that helps support local farmers in Connecticut. Executive chef Jeffrey Lizotte visited the Fox CT kitchen to prepare the restaurant’s eggplant miso Parmesan dish. The recipe is below.
Ingredients:
Eggplant
2 whole Italian eggplant
1 bunch fresh basil (reserve for plating)
3 oounces Parmesan cheese (reserve for plating)
Miso custard
4 eggs
3 ounces red miso paste
1 ounce honey
1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
Breading
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1 cup all purpose flour
Tomato sauce
4 tomatoes (chopped coarsely)
1 onion (sliced thin)
2 cloves garlic (sliced thin)
1 sprig thyme
Olive crumble
1 cup dark olives
½ cup Panko bread crumbs
Parmesan cream
4 ounces Parmesan rinds
1 cup cream
1 garlic clove
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Eggplant
Peel and slice eggplant lengthways into 1-inch thick slices, sprinkle with kosher salt, let sweat for 10 to 20 minutes and wipe off with a clean paper towel.
Meanwhile prepare your standard breading station:
1.) In a mixing bowl crack four eggs, add miso paste, honey and vinegar, and whip well.
2.) In a separate container, combine flour with a pinch of salt.
3.) In a second container, put Panko bread crumbs.
Proceed to bread each slice of eggplant by first dipping in flour, then egg and then crumb. Repeat this process three times for each slice of eggplant. Line an 8×12 inch pan with a greased piece of parchment paper and fill with eggplant slices, forming a bi layered composition. Bake for 40-45 min.
Once removed from the oven, place a plate or equal-sized pan on top of eggplant and use a heavy object to help compress the eggplant. Let sit overnight in a cooler.
Tomato sauce
In a 6-inch saucepan, sweat onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft (about five minutes). Add chopped tomato, salt and thyme. Cook over low heat, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove thyme and puree in a standing blender until smooth.
Parmesan cream
Heat cream, Parmesan and smashed clove of garlic over low heat until it simmers. Pull from heat and let stand for 30 minutes, then strain infused cream through a fine strainer. Season with salt.
Olive crumble
Dehydrate olives in oven overnight at lowest temperature 180 to 200 degrees. Pulse in food processor with toasted bread crumbs
Assembly:
De-mold eggplant parmesan by inverting over a cutting board. Remove parchment paper from top of eggplant and proceed to cut into appropriate portions. Heat in oven until hot all the way through and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese before plating. Heat tomato sauce and Parmesan sauce separately, hold aside. Plate sliced eggplant, top with tomato and Parmesan sauce, sprinkle olive crumble and garnish with fresh basil.
For more information, visit www.ontwenty.com.