Shopping List:
- 2-3 carrots
- 2 sweet bell peppers, or 1 sweet bell pepper and other sweet Italian peppers
- 1 bunch of scallions
- 5-6 fresh cherry tomatoes (add as many as you want)
- 1 tblspn of olive oil
- 1 small can of diced tomatoes
- Parsley Fresh, if you have it
- Freshly dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tblspn of red pepper flakes
- S&P
- 1 eggplant
- 1 egg
- bread crumbs
- Italian spice mix (or you can use Italian bread crumbs.. but I like making my own.
- Peanut oil
Putting it together:
- Shred the carrots (use a food processor if you have it), dice the peppers, scallions, and tomatoes
- Add the olive oil to a large wok or frying pan, heat it up to about medium high. Add the carrots, as they start to sizzle add the other vegetables
- Next, add the spices, as much red pepper as you like, anywhere from 1/8 tsp to 2 tsps. I added 2, I have been getting slowly addicted to lots of spice. Add the parsley, basil, 1 bay leaf, and salt.
- As things start to sizzle and soften up you are ready for the canned tomatoes, the purpose of them is to create a thick sauce so that the vegetables can finish cooking and develop great flavor.
- After about 5 minutes smash the tomtatoes with a potato masher.
- Cover on a slow gentle simmer until you are ready to eat.
meanwhile.... the eggplant
- Prepare your eggplant- dice it up, soak it in a salt water bath. After 30 minutes take it out and squeeze out all the water you can.
- Mix about 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs with 1/4 tsp salt, as much black pepper as you want, and an italian spice mix (1-2 tsps, whatever looks right)
- Whip up two eggs.
- Heat a separate skillet to medium high with just enough peanut oil to have about 1/16 - 1/8 an inch layer on the bottom.
- Coat the eggplant in the egg, dredge in the breadcrumbs. ( For this step I literally dumped the eggplant in the egg and mixed it around. I didn't want to deal with anything more complicate than that.)
- Fry on each side for about 6-8 minutes until it is nice and golden brown. If you sense it getting brown earlier, flip it.
- Serve and Eat! (top with Parm or Mozzarella if you want)