Number 9’s Quick & Dirty Dinners: Eggplant Parmigiana Sandwich

Welcome to the food feature on Number 9. If you’re slavishly devoted to recipes, you’re about to step out of your comfort zone: real cooking is making do with what you have, so these recipes are always approximate. If I say “one onion” but you have only half left in the fridge, use that. It’ll be fine. Like more garlic? Add more. Don’t like eggplant? Leave it out. These recipes are like pretty photos of other people’s houses… inspiration, not gospel. Further to that philosophy, Quick & Dirty Dinners isn’t about fancy four course meals - it’s about real food, real grocery bills, and real life, so don’t be surprised if you see some prepared ingredients or leftovers being mixed in here. It’s about eating quickly and cheaply, but above all, eating well.

I made eggplant parmigiana on the weekend, the recipe for which I will not share here since it is definitely not quick… breading and pan frying enough eggplants for a thickly layered tray of parm takes a very long time, and the home-made sauce, meat and cheese required make the recipe a serious commitment.

However, a parm sandwich can be a lot simpler to make. I saved two big fat slices of fried eggplant for these, so if you happen to make an eggplant parmigiana you may want to do the same. Here’s how you can make a delicious sandwich like this one relatively easily.

Eggplant

If you want to fry the eggplant as shown in the sandwich above, one eggplant will be beyond plenty. In fact, if you just want to make a couple of sandwiches, cut some nice thick slices lengthwise through the center of the eggplant, and keep the rest of the eggplant for some other recipe. At this point, you’ll want to salt the slices lightly, and set them aside, pressed between paper towels. Basically the idea is to squeeze out the bitterness and water contained in the eggplant. You can let this sit as long as overnight, or as little as a few minutes, the longer the better.

For battered fried eggplant, you’ll need:

• flour
• breadcrumbs (I used a mixture of Panko and traditional breadcrumbs)
• one egg
• milk
• oil (I use olive oil, but grapeseed is best, with vegetable oil coming in next)

Combine the egg and some milk in bowl, as though you’re making an omelette. Put a few spoonfuls of flour on one plate, and a few spoonfuls of breadcrumbs on another. Take the salted, squeezed eggplant slices, and coat them in flour. I like to let mine sit for a few minutes, then coat them in flour again. Double flouring will make a huge difference for ANYTHING you batter, and I swear by it, but it’s not necessary.

At this point, you’ll want to make sure that your oil is heating up nicely in the pan. I like to put about a half inch of oil in the pan, enough that the eggplant will float when placed in it. Take the floured eggplant, coat it in egg, then dip it in the breadcrumbs, and drop it in the oil. To make sure your oil is hot enough, you can do a little test with some of the breadcrumby batter from your fingers before putting in the eggplant. If it sizzles and spits as soon as it hits the oil, you’re ready.

Once golden on one side, flip your eggplant slice in the pan. Once both sides are golden, you’ll want to take it out of the oil and drain it on a piece of paper towel. Fry all your slices this way.

Too complicated? I don’t blame you. To make this even easier, skip the battering, and simply drop the slices of salted, drained eggplant directly in the hot oil. The eggplant will still be delicious, just not breaded.

Sandwich 

To build the sandwich, you’ll need:

• fried eggplant slices
• tomato sauce (home made or store bought)
• mozzarella cheese
• bread, preferably a nice ciabatta 

The sandwich assembling is extremely simple: slice the long ciabatta in half, add the eggplant, a healthy helping of tomato sauce, and a few generous slices of mozza. Heat and eat. Deeelish.

Number 9’s Quick & Dirty Dinners: Bandiera Italiana

Welcome to the food feature on Number 9. If you’re slavishly devoted to recipes, you’re about to step out of your comfort zone: real cooking is making do with what you have, so these recipes are always approximate. If I say “one onion” but you have only half left in the fridge, use that. It’ll be fine. Like more garlic? Add more. Don’t like eggplant? Leave it out. These recipes are like pretty photos of other people’s houses… inspiration, not gospel. Further to that philosophy, Quick & Dirty Dinners isn’t about fancy four course meals - it’s about real food, real grocery bills, and real life, so don’t be surprised if you see some prepared ingredients or leftovers being mixed in here. It’s about eating quickly and cheaply, but above all, eating well.

This is an easy one… no cooking required, just assembly. An Italian classic, this can be a light summer meal, or just a lovely fresh antipasto for the summer months. The colors of the basil, mozzarella and tomato represent the colors of the Italian flag (as well as the three staples of Italian cuisine), hence the name.

Bandiera Italiana

• 2-3 tomatoes per person (preferably the longer Italian kind)
• small fresh mozzarella, known as bocconcini (roughly 1 per tomato)
• generous helping of fresh basil
• capers
• olive oil
• salt, pepper 

Wash and slice each tomato into discs and arrange on plate. Slice each mozzarella into discs and place each piece on a slice of tomato. Wash basil, then rip off sections of leaf and place onto mozzarella. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, garnish with capers, then drizzle with olive oil. Eat, repeat!

Number 9’s Quick & Dirty Dinners: Buffalo Shrimp & House Ranch

Welcome to the first food feature on Number 9. If you’re slavishly devoted to recipes, you’re about to step out of your comfort zone: real cooking is making do with what you have, so these recipes are always approximate. If I say “one onion” but you have only half left in the fridge, use that. It’ll be fine. Like more garlic? Add more. Don’t like eggplant? Leave it out. These recipes are like pretty photos of other people’s houses… inspiration, not gospel. Further to that philosophy, Quick & Dirty Dinners isn’t about fancy four course meals - it’s about real food, real grocery bills, and real life, so don’t be surprised if you see some prepared ingredients or leftovers being mixed in here. It’s about eating quickly and cheaply, but above all, eating well.

Shrimp used to be expensive, way back when. My parents can’t help but remind me of that fact (in between stories about walking to school barefoot in the snow both ways) every time I whip together some of these delicious shrimp in Buffalo sauce for my extended family. They’re no longer nearly as pricy today, so a 1 kilo bag of frozen raw shrimp will set you back 10$ and feed four nicely. This is a twist on the classic chicken wing, and we like to bust them out wherever wings are traditionally found - backyard barbecues, the big game, lazy Sundays, etc.

Buffalo Shrimp

• big bag of frozen raw shrimp, preferably deveined, and shelled if you’re lazy.
• hot sauce (I prefer Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo.)
• butter
• garlic

Thaw the shrimps out, then remove the shells (the shrimp I generally buy are deveined, but shelled), leaving the tails on (nature’s handle!). Mince the garlic (one clove or more, depending on your preference), and melt the butter, then add the garlic to the butter and let simmer until lightly golden. Lay the shrimps in an even layer on a baking sheet, brush with garlic butter, flip, and brush again. I pour on the remaining oil and garlic - the garlic bits add extra flavor. Bake for a few minutes until shrimp are pink, then flip and repeat. I prefer to undercook than overcook seafood - perfectly pink outside is preferable to rubbery through and through. Once cooked, transfer shrimp to bowl and douse with a generous helping of hot sauce. Toss, and add more hot sauce.

Lazier? Skip the garlic butter step, lightly oil your baking sheet so the shrimp don’t stick, and go on from there.

Using the grill? Spear a generous portion of shrimp on each skewer. If you’re using wood skewers, don’t forget to soak them in water for at least 15 minutes or they risk burning. Brush with garlic butter or oil, and grill for a couple of minutes on each side. Serve plated, on the skewer, and doused in hot sauce.

As for the ranch dip, I’m not sure how I ended up being in my late twenties before I figured out that ranch wasn’t something that had to be bought in a store, and that homemade ranch is so much better! My favorite thing about it is that each time is a little bit different - since I don’t follow any particular recipe or measurements, I’ve ended up making a wide variety of ranch dips, each one tastier than the next.

House Ranch

• mayonnaise
• sour cream
• lemon
• vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce
• parsley
• salt, pepper
• customization ingredients (details below.)

Mix roughly equal parts mayo and sour cream in a bowl. Add a small splash of lemon, a quick splash of vinegar (I’ve used all of them, but prefer white or balsamic) and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and stir. Finely chop a generous amount of fresh or frozen parsley and add it to the mix with some salt and pepper to taste. Now for the fun part… customization. Can’t get enough garlic? Crush a clove (or two) with some salt until it turns into a creamy mash and mix it in. Want a deeper salty flavor, and don’t mind a darker dip? Substitute the salt for soy sauce. Wanna get cheesy? Try adding grated parmesan, or finely crumbled or creamy goat or blue cheeses. Go spicy with some hot sauce, cayenne, or ground chilies. The possibilities are practically endless.

And for a bonus, turn this ranch dip into ranch dressing by adding a little milk, or buttermilk if you’re fancy. Once you try this recipe, you’ll never go back to store bought ranch… I promise!