Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan

Have you heard of the “technology adoption curve” or “innovation adoption lifecycle”? It describes how quickly different proportions of a population accept new technologies and practices. It looks something like this:

That’s right. I’m usually so far behind the rest of the population that I can pick up the “new” technology at thrift stores for a fraction of the price once everyone else has moved on to the next new thing. How far behind am I? My tractor is turning 72 years old next month. My car is older than I am. I’m still using my 12-year-old printer (it was free!) And, fourteen years after its introduction, I finally bought an air fryer.

I was pretty hesitant to buy one for several reasons. Did I really need another cooking gadget? Surely my ancient toaster over (an excellent thrift store score) would suffice? If I bought an air fryer, would I immediately slide down the slippery slope of buying junk food like frozen onion rings, mini corn dogs, and mozzarella sticks?

Even accidentally winning a trivia contest about air fryer cooking two years ago didn’t convince me to purchase one. So thank you to the CSA members who finally convinced me to go for it!

My very first experiment in the air fryer: eggplant parmesan. Delicious! (Plus, convenient to use up the last of the eggplants and tomatoes of the season).

Subsequent experiments indicate I still have some work to do to perfect sweet potatoes, salmon, and egg bites. Grilled cheese was amazing, though! Up next: experimental air fryer aloo gobi (an Indian cauliflower dish).

Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small eggplants

• 1/2 cup flour

• 2 eggs

• splash of milk

• 1 cup bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1 cup marinara or tomato sauce

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• Chopped basil or parsley for garnish (I used parsley and oregano)

directions

Slice eggplants into 1/2” thick rounds, lightly salt both sides (optional), and let sit.

In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Put flour in a third bowl. Preheat air fryer to 370-390 degrees, depending on settings available.

Pat eggplant slices dry with a paper towel. Dip each slice first in the bowl of flour, fully coating the slice. Then, dip in egg bowl. Finally, place in bowl of bread crumbs and ensure the slice is fully coated with bread crumbs.

Arrange slices in single layers (you’ll need multiple racks or to do several rounds of cooking) in the air fryer, and air fry for 6-8 minutes (check regularly to ensure they’re not too brown). Flip slices and air fry another 4-6 minutes.

While eggplant is cooking, warm the marinara sauce. Or, if like me you don’t have any, make your own tomato sauce by sautéing onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, and spices/herbs. Allow to simmer while eggplant is cooking.

When eggplant is done, spread a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the plate. Arrange eggplants on sauce. Immediately sprinkle with cheese so it melts and then top with herbs.

Tim's Jalapeño Poppers

For part of the time I lived in Indiana, I stayed with a lovely couple who were both excellent and adventurous cooks. One of Tim’s many specialties was his bacon-wrapped, stuffed jalapeños. I’ve made these several times since for birthday meals or get-togethers with friends. These make great appetizers for football games or grilling parties.

Here’s my most recent batch, fresh out of the oven. (You can see I wrapped the bacon a little too tightly around the jalapeños and the cheese oozed out the ends. Oops. Still delicious!) If you’ve got some vegetarians around, just skip the bacon, like the ones on the far right. Or, if you don’t want to wrap the bacon around the jalapeños, you can precook the bacon and chop it into small pieces to mix into the cheese filling.

INGREDIENTS:

• 10-12 jalapeños (or no-heat jalapenos)

• 1 block of cream cheese

• 1 small piece of a hard cheese, grated (I happened to find a container of pre-grated Asiago)

• 1/2 package of bacon

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut jalapeños in half the long way (wearing gloves!) and remove seeds and membranes. Put jalapeño halves and the equivalent number of bacon strips on a baking sheet in the oven to begin baking. Meanwhile, put cream cheese into microwave-safe bowl and microwave for a few seconds at a time until softened enough to stir. Stir in grated cheese, approximately 1/2 - 1 cup of grated cheese). Pull jalapeños out of the oven. Cool to touch, then use a spoon to fill each jalapeño half with cheese filling. Pull bacon out of the oven and cool to touch. Wrap a strip of bacon loosely around each jalapeño, with the end tucked underneath. Place wrapped jalapeños back on baking sheet and bake until bacon is crispy, about 30 minutes.

Other optional additions to the cheese filling: minced onions or garlic, chopped chives or garlic chives

Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a traditional breakfast dish from the Mediterranean. This can be baked in a cast iron skillet in the oven, or simply made in a large frying pan (with a lid) on the stove. 

I like to make this as a quick mid-summer supper. The base ingredients are tomatoes, onions, and eggs, and from there you can add other ingredients and spices as you like.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tbsp oil

• 1 onion, diced (or use chopped green onions, added at the same time as the eggs)

• 1 bell pepper, seeds removed, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or substitute one bunch garlic scapes, chopped)

• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• dash cayenne powder or chili powder or pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 6 cups diced fresh tomatoes or cherry tomatoes

• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (or leftover spaghetti sauce, or marinara sauce, etc) (optional)

• 1/4 cup chopped parsley (or substitute cilantro or mint)

• 6 eggs

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in frying pan. Add bell pepper and onion and cook 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add garlic and spices and cook another minute. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce and cook for about 15 minutes to reduce and thicken. Taste and add more spices as needed. Reduce heat to a simmer. Use a large spoon to make 6 evenly spaced indentations in the mixture. Gently crack an egg into each indentation. Cover the pan and cook about 8 minutes, or until eggs are poached to your liking. Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top and serve with toast, pita, naan, or challah bread.

Optional additions: feta or goat cheese, sliced avocado, cooked sweet potatoes, chopped fresh jalapenos, etc

Zucchini Involtini

It’s zucchini season! If you’re looking for another way to make zucchini, try this fun “involtini” (Italian rolled zucchini). Use large zucchini for making a main dish, or smaller zucchini to create mini-rolls as appetizers. Kids can get involved by helping to stir the ingredients and roll the filling into the zucchini strips.

Ingredients:

Involtini

• 1 pound zucchini (about 2 large or 3 medium)

• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• salt & pepper

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or Italian mix cheese

• 2 tbsp basil or parsley, chopped for garnishing

Filling

• 1 small onion

• 8 oz spinach, kale, or chard, large stems removed and chopped into small ribbons

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp chili flakes, or to taste

• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

• 1/2 cup shredded Italian mix or mozzarella cheese

Marinara Sauce

• 1 jar marinara sauce (or spaghetti sauce, if that’s what you have on hand)

• optional additions: cooked ground sausage, minced garlic or garlic scapes, diced onions or green onions

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Zucchini

Trim the each end off each zucchini. Using a mandolin slicer set at about 1/8", cut the zucchini longways into as many slices as possible. (Or, stand each zucchini vertically and make 1/4-inch thick cuts down to create long slices.) You want to end up with enough slices to make 12-15 rollups, whether from individual large slices, or doubled up medium slices. Arrange the slices on the prepared baking sheets. Drizzle the zucchini lightly with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer pan to the oven and roast for 6-8 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove pans from the oven and use a fork or tongs to flip each zucchini slice over, return pans to the oven, and roast for 2-3 minutes more, or longer if needed, until zucchini strips are pliable enough to roll. Remove pan from oven to cool. Keep oven on.

Filling

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan over medium high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of oil until shimmering. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened. Add the spinach and/or kale leaves, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté, until softened, about 2 minutes or until wilted. Season with nutmeg. Remove pan from heat. Let it cool slightly before adding it to the ricotta. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, shredded cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and the chili flakes. When greens have cooled briefly, stir them into the ricotta mixture. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the involtini

Spoon about 2 cups of the marinara sauce into a 9×13-inch baking dish—the bottom of the dish should be covered in a good layer. Place a heaping tbsp of filling at one end of each of the zucchini slices. If using smaller zucchini slices lay two side by side, slightly overlapping them. Roll the slice into a tight coil and nestle it seam-side down on top of the tomato sauce. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake until the sauce has reduced slightly and is bubbling, and the rolls are lightly golden on top, about 10 minutes. Take the pan from the oven and top evenly with shredded cheese, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and garnish with chopped parsley or basil.

Recipe adapted from The Lemon Apron

Winter Spinach Salad

Last week was the final harvest of spinach out of the high tunnel before tearing it out to prepare for spring planting (maybe next week if the weather cooperates)! I needed a good salad recipe that would utilize the spinach, plus the onions and garlic I still had stored over winter. This recipe fit the bill, and I took it to a potluck and didn’t return with much left!

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 5 oz fresh spinach (about 5 packed cups)

• 1 apple, thinly sliced (or substitute a pear)

• 1/3 c. crumbled feta cheese

• 1/4 onion, thinly sliced

• 1/4 c. sliced almonds (or substitute walnuts)

Dressing

• 1/3 c. olive oil

• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar (or substitute apple cider vinegar)

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 2 tsp. mustard

• 1/2 tsp honey

• Pinch of salt

• Dash of black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar, and shake well to combine.

Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl. Add dressing, toss to combine, and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Delish