Gratinate of Pork Scaloppine with Eggplant or Zucchini Slices
Instead of making the lemon scaloppine, try this delightful dish from Lidia Bastianich, in which the vegetables almost take center stage and the meat is an accent. It is important in reducing this recipe to one serving to use a small pan so that the sauce does not evaporate.
Ingredients
Preparation
Trim the stem off the eggplant. Slice a wide strip of skin off lengthwise on either side and discard, then slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Salt and pepper them, and dredge lightly in flour. (If you are using zucchini, cut it into diagonal 1/4-inch slices and dredge them.) Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a 6-inch frying pan, and lightly brown the eggplant slices on both sides, adding a little more oil if necessary. Remove to paper towels. Cut scallop-sized pieces of pork (see procedure in preceding recipe), and flatten them between sheets of wax paper, then salt and pepper lightly and dredge in flour. Add the butter to the pan, and sauté the pork for a minute or two on each side. Remove from the pan, and set aside with the eggplant. Toss in the shallot, sauté briefly, then splash in the wine and let it almost boil away. Put the pieces of meat back in the skillet in one layer, with leaves of basil laid over them, then arrange the slices of eggplant on top, and spoon about 1 tablespoon of the tomato sauce over each piece. Sprinkle the cheese over it, and drizzle just a little tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan, along with the stock. Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 8–10 minutes, or until the meat is tender when poked and there is still a little sauce left in the pan.
