Directions:

STEP 1

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

STEP 2

Cut off top head of garlic to expose cloves just a little bit. Place garlic cut-side-up in the cavity of a muffin tin and rub olive oil over the exposed cloves. Wrap foil over the garlic.

STEP 3

Roast garlic for 30-35 minutes, until cloves are soft and golden. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Once cooled, remove each clove of garlic by gently squeezing. Place in bowl and set aside.

STEP 4

Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees and spray a 12-cavity muffin tin lightly with cooking spray.

STEP 5

Boil elbow macaroni in a pot of lightly salted boiling water, about 2 minutes less than package recommends for al dente (the macaroni will finish cooking in the oven). Drain and set aside.

STEP 6

While macaroni is cooking, melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk flour into butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper.

STEP 7

While continuing to whisk, slowly pour milk into mixture. Stir for about 3 minutes as mixture thickens and comes to a simmer. Don’t let mixture come to a full boil.

STEP 8

Lower heat to medium-low and stir in roasted garlic cloves and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, until sauce is smooth. Add macaroni to pot and stir to full coat pasta with sauce.

STEP 9

Melt remaining 1 Tbsp butter in a small bowl and stir in panko.
Evenly divide macaroni mixture among cavities in prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle panko mixture over the top and top with chopped parsley.

STEP 10

Bake for 15 minutes, until panko is golden. Let mac and cheese cups cool for about 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin and serving.

Directions:

STEP 1

Wash the eggplants, remove the crowns, and slice each eggplant into 3/8-inch slices. To help drain some of the natural water from the eggplant, follow this process: Put a double layer of paper towels on a baking sheet, place half of the eggplant slices in a single layer on the paper towels and liberally sprinkle with kosher salt. Cover with another double layer of paper towels. Repeat the same process with a second baking sheet and the rest of the eggplant. When finished, stack the second baking sheet on top of the first. On top of that, rest a third sheet and weigh it down with something heavy like a large cooking pot filled with water. Let the eggplant slices sit and drain for an hour.

STEP 2

Put the flour, well-seasoned with salt and pepper, in a shallow dish; put the beaten eggs in a second dish; and the breadcrumbs in a third dish. Pour a ¼-inch layer of olive oil in a heavy frying pan and heat until hot but not smoking. In batches, dip the eggplant slices first in the flour, shaking off the excess, next in the egg, and then in the breadcrumbs. Fry on both sides until golden. Drain the slices on a baking sheet spread with paper towels.

STEP 3

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In the bottom of a 9 x 14 x 2-inch baking dish, spread one cup of tomato sauce. Layer half the prepared eggplant slices on top, slightly overlapping them to make them fit. Cover with half the Mozzarella, and a third of the Parmigiano Reggiano. Spread half of the remaining tomato sauce over the two cheeses, and layer the remaining slices of eggplant over the sauce. Add the rest of the Mozzarella and another third of the Parmigiano Reggiano. Top with the last of the tomato sauce and the Parmigiano Reggiano.

STEP 4

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is golden. The eggplant will be cooked, but not overcooked and falling apart. Cover loosely with foil and let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

STEP 5

Leftover eggplant Parmigiano Reggiano makes a satisfying sandwich filling, and is delicious when chopped up and used as a pasta sauce or spread over dough and baked as a pizza. Eggplant Parmigiano Reggiano can be served as a main course or as an appetizer any time of the year. Best of all, you can make this eggplant Parmigiano Reggiano recipe ahead of time and reheat it just before serving.

Directions:

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Wash and dry the spinach. Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the spinach and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until the spinach is cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain the spinach, roughly chop it, then squeeze out any remaining moisture. (You can also use a generous cup of frozen leaf spinach, defrosted and drained.)

STEP 2

In a large bowl, combine all the other ingredients except the butter. Mix well, add the spinach and stir until it is incorporated.

STEP 3

Melt the butter and butter 8 one-cup ramekins.

STEP 4

Divide the spinach mixture among the ramekins.

STEP 5

Put the filled ramekins into a baking dish or roasting pan. Add enough boiling water to the pan so the water reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

STEP 6

Bake the timbales in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the spinach mixture is just set.

STEP 7

Cool the timbales before unmolding. Before serving, sprinkle the timbales with a little grated Parmigiano Reggiano and reheat in the oven or microwave.