Eggplant And Asparagus Napoleons Recipes

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND TOMATO NAPOLEONS WITH BLACK OLIVE DRESSING

Steps:

• For the black olive dressing, combine all ingredients and allow to sit for at least 2 hours, covered and refrigerated, for flavors to develop. For the poached garlic in the basil puree, place unpeeled garlic cloves in a small saucepan and cover by 1-inch of cold water. Bring to a boil, drain and repeat process 2 more times. Remove husk from garlic, chop. For the basil puree, blanch the basil in lightly salted boiling water for about 5 seconds. Remove and immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain well, squeeze dry and chop. Add to a blender along with poached garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and enough stock to make a smooth puree. Store in refrigerator.;
• To oven dry tomatoes for napoleons, cut tomatoes in half and remove stems. With your fingers gently squeeze and remove the seeds. Lightly oil a baking sheet, place tomatoes and season lightly with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Place in a preheated 225 degree oven for 3 to 4 hours or until tomatoes are somewhat shriveled and have the faintest bit of color on them. For the napoleons, slice the eggplants into 12 (1/2-inch) thick rounds and generously paint both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 400 degree oven until cooked through and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Oil, season and roast remaining vegetables in the same manner and set aside. Be sure not to overcook, vegetables should still have some texture. To assemble the napoleons, on a lightly oiled baking sheet start with a round of eggplant and top with slices of zucchini, onions, peppers, mushrooms and oven dried tomatoes and cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with an eggplant slice for each napoleon. Place a rosemary spear in the center of each napoleon to hold it together. To serve, Place baking sheet with napoleons in a preheated 375 degree oven for a few minutes to warm through and barely melt cheese. Place on warm plates and spoon the black olive dressing around. Top with drops of the reduced Balsamic vinegar, fresh basil puree and garnish with herb sprigs. Serve immediately.;

ASPARAGUS NAPOLEONS WITH ORIENTAL BLACK BEAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the pastry rectangles:
• Roll out the pastry 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, cut out six 5- by 2-inch rectangles, and transfer them to a dampened baking sheet. Brush the tops of the rectangles with some of the egg wash, being careful not to let the egg wash drip down the sides, score them in a crosshatch pattern with the back of a paring knife, and brush them again with some to the remaining egg wash. Bake the rectangles in the upper third of a preheated 400°F. oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are puffed and golden, transfer them with a spatula to racks, and let them cool. The pastry rectangles may be made 1 day in advance, kept in an airtight container at room temperature, and reheated. Halve the rectangles horizontally with a serrated knife and with a fork pull out carefully any uncooked dough.
• Make the sauce:
• In a small bowl dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir in the broth, the soy sauce, the Scotch, and the sugar. In a heavy saucepan heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it stir-fry the beans, the zest, the gingerroot, and the garlic for 1 minute, or until the mixture is very fragrant. Stir the broth mixture and add it to the bean mixture. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring, simmer it for 2 minutes, and keep it warm. The sauce may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated.
• In a large deep skillet of boiling salted water cook the asparagus for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the stalks are just tender but not limp, and drain it well. Arrange the bottom half of each pastry rectangle on a plate and divide the asparagus among the pastries. Spoon the sauce over the asparagus and around the pastries on each plate and top the asparagus with the top halves of the pastries.

EGGPLANT NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Arrange the eggplant slices on two sheet pans, sprinkle with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes or until they begin to sweat. Using a paper towel, pat the slices dry and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the pesto, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Toss in the eggplant to coat and let marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Dump the flour onto a shallow rimmed plate. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites and 1 cup of water. Combine the panko, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley and pepper on a second shallow rimmed plate.
• Spread a sheet of waxed paper on a clean work surface. Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dredge it in the flour first, shaking off the excess, and then dip it in the egg mixture followed by the breadcrumbs. Gently press the breadcrumbs onto both sides of the eggplant and place on the waxed paper. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices.
• Pour at least 2 inches of corn oil into a small, deep pot. Heat the oil over high until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, fry the eggplant slices until golden, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not crowd the pot. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant slices to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.
• Place an eggplant slice on a small plate. Spread with 2 tablespoons of the baba ghanouj, top with a second eggplant slice and spread 1 tablespoon of baba ghanouj on top. Repeat layering in this order with the remaining eggplant slices and baba ghanouj to make eight to ten eggplant stacks.
• Just before serving, toss together the salad: In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the pesto, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Drizzle just enough of the pesto mixture over the tomato-onion mixture to thoroughly coat. Spoon some salad around each napoleon and drizzle the napoleons with some of the dressing left in the bottom of the bowl. Serve immediately.

ROASTED VEGETABLE NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. and brush 2 baking sheets with some of the olive oil.
• Arrange as many vegetables as possible in one layer on sheets. Brush vegetables with some remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables in middle and lower thirds of oven, switching positions of sheets in oven half way through roasting, until just tender and lightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Transfer vegetables as roasted to a tray, arranging them in one layer. Roast remaining vegetables in same manner. Vegetables may be roasted 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and chilled, layered between sheets of plastic wrap on trays and covered. Bring vegetables to room temperature before proceeding.
• In a small bowl stir together ricotta, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Put 1 eggplant slice on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Spread 1 tablespoon of ricotta mixture over eggplant. Cover ricotta mixture with 2 potato slices and layer with 2 zucchini slices, 1 onion slice, 1 mozzarella slice, 2 to 3 tomato slices, 2 zucchini slices, and 1 onion slice. Spread 1 tablespoon ricotta mixture over onion and top with 1 eggplant slice. Make 5 more napoleons using remaining vegetables, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella in same manner.
• Insert a metal or wooden skewer through center of each napoleon to make a hole from top to bottom. Trim rosemary sprigs to 1-inch taller than napoleons and remove bottom leaves from each sprig, leaving about 1-inch of leaves around top. Insert 1 sprig into each napoleon and bake in middle of oven 5 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and vegetables are heated through.

EGGPLANT NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place one eggplant on a baking sheet, and roast for one hour. Allow to cool. Slice in half lengthwise, and scoop pulp into a medium mixing bowl. Add olive oil to bowl, and blend well with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and reserve.
• Slice remaining eggplant into disks about 1/8 inch thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, beat eggs with a fork until blended. Dip each eggplant slice in the flour, egg and then the bread crumbs.
• In a medium saucepan, heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Add eggplant in small batches, and saute until brown on both sides, about a minute a side. Remove from pan, and drain on paper towels.
• To assemble, place a slice of eggplant on each of four plates, topped by a heaping tablespoon of reserved eggplant puree. Top with another slice of eggplant and another spoonful of puree, continuing until the eggplant and puree have been evenly distributed. Finish each napoleon with a slice of eggplant; there will be a total of four to six layers. Serve immediately.