Last week, I wore my first scarf of the season. I know that doesn't mean much to any of you, but that means something wonderful to me: Fall is coming!
Fall is, by far, my favorite time of year. I love everything that comes with it: changing leaves, apple-picking and pumpkin-flavored things. Moreover, I love the overlap; I love when summer is still hanging on and fall is just moving in. And this overlap is never more apparent than when I am at my local farmer's market.
Farmer's markets are typically associated with summer. As soon as the sun starts making regular appearances and the weather warms a bit, I know that market season is right around the corner. However, most of the Chicagoland markets stay open through mid-October. For the past few weeks, I've noticed several signs touting the, "last peaches of the season!" That's okay, though, there's a whole new lineup of goodies making their market appearances each weekend.
Last Saturday, I headed north to Evanston's farmer's market. Aside from Oak Park, this is my favorite suburban market in the area. Per my typical weekend morning routine, I didn't have a list in mind. Rather, I planned to grab a warm beverage and wander aimlessly—and peacefully—through the maze of tented stands.
The market's landscape had changed since my last visit. There were fewer tomatoes and more apples, less berries and more Brussels sprouts. And, no matter where I looked, I was confronted by heaping mounds of eggplants. Immediately, I knew what we'd have for Sunday dinner: eggplant parmesan.
Growing up in an Italian family, eggplant parmesan was always a go-to comfort meal. I vividly remember how, at the end of every summer I'd spent with my father, he would send me home with jars of marinara sauce and foil-wrapped eggplant parmesan hoagies. I was the envy of everyone on the airplane.
So, when I saw countless farmers and their eggplant bounties, I knew what I'd make for dinner the next night. I bought two eggplants, and I continued my wandering. A few stalls down, there was a sale on cherry tomatoes. I figured that, since I was already going to be cooking the eggplant, I might as well make a big pot of sauce, too. Next, I was reeled in by baskets of fragrant basil. After that, I found onions and garlic. Before I knew it, I was able to construct practically an entire meal from my market finds. I turned to leave and, out of the corner of my eye, saw a sign: "New! Fresh mozzarella!" It was settled; I didn't have to stop by any other store. I could go home, and I could get cookin'.
I spent most of Saturday evening curled up in a blanket, sipping apple cider and periodically stirring the pot of tomato sauce I had gently simmering on the stove. The house smelled like my father's kitchen. It smelled warm and earthy. I had experience the perfect farmer's market morning, and no my house smelled—unmistakably—like fall.
Cherry tomato marinara
Olive oil
8 cups of cherry tomatoes
¼ cup tomato paste
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, grated
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp. aged balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. sugar
½ tbsp. dried oregano
½ tbsp. red chili flakes
¼ cup chopped basil leaves
Salt and pepper
1. Cover the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place over medium heat. Immediately add garlic, onion and grated carrot. Allow to sauté until onion and garlic are both translucent.
2. Meanwhile, puree cherry tomatoes in a food processor or blender.
3. Add tomato paste, cinnamon, sugar, dried oregano and chili flakes to the pot. Mix into the onion, garlic and carrot mixture and allow to cook for one minute.
4. Add chicken stock, vinegar and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Simmer over medium-low, uncovered, for two hours. Stir frequently. Sauce will reduce and thicken quite a bit.
6. When the sauce has reached your desired consistency, remove from heat. Stir in fresh basil leaves.
Eggplant parmesan
3 cups warm marinara sauce
2 eggplants
1 cup panko crumbs
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 eggs
1 cup flour
Oil
Mozzarella cheese
1. Cut eggplant into ½-inch slices.
2. At this point, depending on how much you like eggplant's sometimes bitter flavor, you may want to "salt" your eggplant to remove bitterness. You can easily find ways to do this by searching for "salting eggplant" online. I've made this dish both ways, and I don't have a preference.
3. Mix together the panko crumbs, Italian breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
4. Create a breading station with three bowls: flour, beaten egg and bread-crumb mixture.
5. Generously cover the bottom of a very large pan in oil and heat over medium-high.
6. Bread the eggplant. First, dredge it in flour and dust off any excess. Next, dunk the sliced eggplant into the beaten egg. Finally, evenly coat the slice with the breadcrumb mixture.
7. Fry the eggplant on both sides until golden brown. This should take one to two minutes on each side. Let the eggplant slices drain on a paper towel while you finish the rest. You'll need to do this in a few batches.
8. Once all of the eggplant is fried, start assembling your eggplant parmesan in a glass baking dish. Begin by putting a spoonful of marinara in the bottom of the dish. Next, cover the marinara with slices of fried eggplant. Top the eggplant with sliced ( or shredded ) mozzarella cheese. Repeat until your pan is full.
9. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. You'll want the pan to be warmed through and the cheese to be bubbly.
10. The leftovers make wonderful sandwiches.
