Saturday, December 20, 2025
HomeSpanish foodMY KITCHEN IN SPAIN: EGGPLANT PARM—LACTOSE FREE

MY KITCHEN IN SPAIN: EGGPLANT PARM—LACTOSE FREE


 

Layers of fried eggplant, tomato sauce, and two sorts of no-lactose cheese.

Attractive late season eggplants entice me to make a bubbly, gooey, tacky casserole, my model of eggplant Parmesan. Do I dare? I’m nonetheless cheese-averse, avoiding most dairy (see my publish about different milk) as a result of perhaps I’m lactose illiberal. I’ve began consuming some dairy yogurt once more, however in lowered portions. However cheese?

Lactose is a pure element of dairy milk, a sugar that’s damaged down in digestion to its easier parts (glucose and galactose).  Lactose intolerance, with digestive signs equivalent to bloating, happens when the physique lacks the enzyme lactase, making it tough to digest lactose.

Collection of lactose-free cheese and milk.

I’ve found that many cafés now supply lactose-free milk for the usual café con leche. Milk will be made lactose-free both by a filtration course of or by the addition of an enzyme, lactase, which pre-digests the lactose. Now it’s time to strive lactose-free cheese.   

Laborious cheeses equivalent to Parmesan, Gouda, and Manchego are pretty low in lactose as a few of it’s transformed to lactic acid within the getting older course of. Goat milk cheeses are naturally decrease in lactose than cow’s milk cheeses. 

I fairly like queso tierno de cabra sin lactosa, a white uncured goat’s milk cheese, firmer than queso fresco. A non-melting cheese, I take advantage of it for breakfast and to cube into salads. I discovered lactose-free mozzarella at an enormous hipermercado. Within the pueblo retailer I’ve acquired no- lactose sliced Gouda, nice for snacks and sandwiches. And eggplant parm! 

Properly gooey with lactose-free mozarella, savory with Gouda and sauce.

Eggplant Baked with Lactose-Free Cheeses

Berenjena al Horno sin Lactosa

I used retailer purchased canned tomato sauce for this recipe. The sautéd onions, peppers, and garlic give it additional taste. Use any no-lactose laborious cheese equivalent to Parmesan, Manchego or Gouda, grated, shredded, chopped, or sliced. 

Serves 4,

2 medium eggplants (1 ½-2 kilos)

2 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil + extra for frying and greasing baking dish

¾ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup finely chopped crimson bell pepper

1 clove chopped garlic

1 cup tomato sauce (retailer purchased or home made)

Salt

Freshly floor black pepper

Pinch dried oregano

4 ½ ounces contemporary lactose-free mozzarella

2 ounces lactose-free agency cheese, equivalent to Parmesan, Gouda, or Manchego

½ cup lactose-free milk (or non-dairy milk)

Recent basil 

Fry eggplant slices.

Reduce ends off the eggplants and slice them lengthwise ¼ inch thick. Beat 1 of the eggs with 1 teaspoon of water. Place it in a shallow bowl. Warmth a skillet on medium-high with sufficient oil to cowl the underside. Dip slices of eggplant within the crushed egg and fry them in batches till browned on either side and considerably softened. Take away the eggplant slices to absorbent paper. Reserve any remaining crushed egg.

Warmth 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan on medium warmth and sauté the onion, bell pepper, and garlic till onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, salt to style, pepper, and oregano. Prepare dinner till sauce is thickened, 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Oil a baking dish.

Layer eggplant, cheese.

Unfold a spoonful of the tomato sauce within the backside of the dish. Place a layer of eggplant within the dish. Reduce sliced cheese, if utilizing, into strips and scatter half of it (or grated cheese) on high of the layer of eggplant. Add one other layer of eggplant. Unfold half of the remaining tomato sauce over the eggplant with a couple of basil leaves. Slice the mozzarella and place it on high of the eggplant. Place remaining eggplant slices over the mozzarella, unfold with remaining tomato sauce, and scatter remaining sliced or grated cheese on high.

Beat remaining egg with any egg left from dipping the eggplant slices. Add the milk. Season with salt. Pour the egg-milk combination over the eggplant. High with a couple of basil leaves.

Bake 10 minutes. Decrease oven to 350ºF and bake till egg is ready, quarter-hour. Garnish with further sprigs of basil. Let the eggplant sit 15 to twenty minutes earlier than serving.

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Are you searching for extra eggplant recipes? Take a look at my new cookbook, FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS, The Culinary Legacy of Spain

Eggplant was the emblematic vegetable of Moorish cooking. In Flavors of al-Andalus, you’ll discover recipes for Pickled Eggplants, Almagro Model; Roasted Eggplant Salad with Chickpeas (pictured at left); Eggplants Filled with Cheese; Eggplant Croquettes; Sluggish-Fried Eggplant and Greens (Alboronía); and Eggplant Timbale.

***   ***   ***

FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS 

The Culinary Legacy of Spain

This new cookbook has menus and recipes for Tapas Get together, Brunch, Summer time Barbecue, Household Dinners (together with vegetarian), Sunday Lunch, Dinner Get together, Spring Vacation Meal, and Autumn/Winter Vacation Meal. Out of your favourite bookseller or click on under to order. 

This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic tradition has left on trendy Spanish cooking. 

Creator and Spanish cooking skilled Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish affect on Spanish cooking by means of 120 recipes and images for modern-day dishes, from salads and greens to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that hint their heritage to meals served in medieval occasions. Dishes from this period embrace unique spices equivalent to saffron, the usage of fruits and almonds with savory dishes, and honeyed sweets and pastries. The flavors of al-Andalus reside on in trendy Spanish cooking and are what makes Spain’s delicacies distinctive from the remainder of Europe. (Hippocrene Books)    

 Order on IndiePubs

Use PROMO CODE HIPPOCRENE40 for 40% off on all Hippocrene titles at IndiePubs on-line bookstore.

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Order on amazon


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