Blue Bloods may showcase investigations, but at its heart, the police procedural is a family show that welcomes moments and dishes fit for the diner table of patriarch Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) and more.
Below, find out how you can make a dish worthy of the Reagan Family dinner table, courtesy of the cast itself with three major recipes from Steve Schirripa, Abigail Hawk, and Gregory Jbara.
Steve Schirripa’s Eggplant Parmesan
The Sopranos actor and man behind Blue Bloods’ Det. Anthony Abetemarco used to own pasta sauce company Uncle Steve’s Italian Specialties, so we’d say you can definitely try this recipe if you want to impress your in-laws!
Servings: 3 to 5
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
3 cups breadcrumbs
½ cup olive oil
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese
Tomato sauce (see recipe, right)
¾ cup Pecorino Romano cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2. Start by cutting off the top and bottom of the eggplant; cut the rest of the eggplant into ›-inch slices.
3. Whisk eggs with milk.
4. Spread breadcrumbs on a paper towel.
5. In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Take each piece of eggplant and dip in the egg wash, then dip in breadcrumbs. Make sure to completely cover each piece with breadcrumbs before frying in hot oil.
6. Brown each slice of eggplant. Occasionally change the oil; you don’t want to continue cooking eggplant slices with burnt loose breadcrumbs.
7. Place fried eggplant on paper towel to absorb some of the oil.
8. Slice the fresh mozzarella.
9. Line the bottom of an 11×9-inch glass pan with a layer of sauce. Place a layer of eggplant, followed by a slice of mozzarella, a heaping layer of tomato sauce, then sprinkle with a layer of Pecorino Romano cheese.
10. Repeat, and stack 3 to 4 eggplants high. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Schirripa notes, “You know it’s ready when the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted.”
*Bonus Recipe: Schirripa’s Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon water
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes with juices, diced
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped, or ½ teaspoon dried
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
Directions:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan over medium heat until fragrant.
2. Mix the garlic with 1 teaspoon water and carefully add this to the warm oil.
3. Saute the garlic without browning it.
4. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the basil, salt and sugar; simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Just before serving, blend in the last tablespoon of olive oil.
Abigail Hawk’s Crowd-Pleasing Buffalo Dip
“I am prefacing the following recipe to admit: I am not a cook. And I’m only a Baker on TV,” jokes Hawk, who stirs things up as Det. Abigail Baker. This simple recipe, she notes, isn’t pretty or good for you. However, “It’s guaranteed to make you the most popular person at any event, so enjoy the attention responsibly!”
Ingredients:
2 (10-ounce) cans of white chicken meat
½ cup of Frank’s RedHot sauce
8 ounces plain Greek yogurt
½ cup blue cheese crumbles
½ cup blue cheese dressing
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.
2. Combine all ingredients in an oven-safe dish. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. This dip is best served with blue corn tortilla chips.
Greg Jbara: (I Thought I Hated) Brussels Sprouts
The actor who portrays Garrett Moore notes that he often uses two frying pans for this veggie dish that has a “mouthwatering crisp and moist finish.” Yum!
Servings: 3 to 5
Ingredients:
1 bunch of brussels sprouts
10 cloves of garlic, crushed
Olive oil
Directions:
1. Line the largest, flattest frying pan you own with brussels sprouts cut in half, flat side down.
2. Evenly sprinkle no fewer than 10 cloves of crushed garlic over the sprouts, allowing as much garlic to fall in the gaps as possible, touching the pan.
3. Very lightly drizzle olive oil over every brussels sprout half. Place the lid on the pan to contain moisture and cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
4 Remove the lid and turn up the heat to medium-high. When crushed garlic begins to brown, turn over one or two sprout halves to see if their flat side is also beginning to brown.
5. A browned or pan-seared (not burned) flat side of the sprout is the goal. You might need to drizzle a bit more oil and turn up the heat to achieve this.
6. When the desired finish has been achieved, toss the sprouts in a frying pan with a spatula, thoroughly distributing the browned, crushed garlic. Remove from heat and enjoy!
