Easy Cheese-y Eggplant Bake

Today's recipe is inspired by that rich classic, eggplant parmesan.  But instead of breading and frying the eggplant before assembling, the eggplant in this dish is sliced and browned in a skillet brushed with olive oil before layering with tomato sauce and cheese and baking.  The resulting dish has more eggplant flavor and is considerably lighter than its classic counterpart.

You can make this dish with full-size eggplant or the smaller Asian eggplant we've been getting in our CSA boxes lately.  Even better, you can cook up the eggplant a day or two in advance and assemble the dish right before baking.

I like to use my Slow-Cooked Tomato Sauce (see recipe in 9/24/10) for the tomato sauce in this recipe, but you can use a store-bought sauce if you prefer.  But remember:  the better the sauce the tastier the dish.

To prepare the eggplant:  Slice 1 lb. eggplant about 1/3" thick.  Heat a heavy skillet (such as cast iron) over high heat.  Brush with olive oil.  When hot, turn the heat down to medium.  Cooking in batches, add the eggplant slices in a single layer.  Brown on one side, then flip and brown on the other side.  Adjust the heat and brush with more oil as needed.  Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the browning eggplant, if desired.

Remove the eggplant slices as they brown and add more until all eggplant is browned.  Eggplant can be used immediately or stored in the fridge for 2-3 days before assembling the dish.

For 4 side servings or 2 generous main course servings:

1 to 1-1/2 C chunky tomato sauce
1 lb. eggplant, prepared as above
1 to 1-1/2 C loosely packed grated mozzarella or provolone cheese
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese

1.  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  Spread 2-3 T chunky tomato sauce in a small baking dish, such as an 8" round pie plate.

3.  Layer 1/3 browned eggplant slices on top of sauce.

4.  Spread another 2-3 T chunky tomato sauce over eggplant.

5.  Sprinkle on 1/2 the grated mozzarella cheese.

6.  Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4; then repeat steps 2 and 3 again, ending with the sauce.

7.  Top with 1/4 C grated parmesan cheese.

8.  Bake at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling.  Serve hot.

Feel free to substitute slices of fresh mozzarella for the grated mozzarella, if you prefer.  To make this dish a little fancier, top with a white sauce instead of the grated parmesan.  You can even stir the grated parmesan into your white sauce.

If you happen to have browned eggplant slices left over, you can marinate them in a balsamic vinaigrette for a nice addition to an antipasto platter.

Today's bounty included:

From Jaime Farms:  Broccoli and carrots;

From Jimenez Family Farms:  Red onions, iceberg lettuce, Romanesco squash, cilantro, dill, assorted peppers, and butternut squash;

From K and K Ranch:  Apples, grapes, eggplant, and jujubes;

From Moua's Farm:  Heirloom tomatoes, yu choy, and kale.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Baba Ghanouj

I love eggplant. It's shiny blackish purple skin and curvaceous shape are enticing enough. But its delicate flavor and super creamy texture make it a wonderfully versatile vegetable.

Eggplant is delicious simply sliced and grilled, then brushed with a little balsamic vinaigrette. Prepared this way, it makes a great veggie sandwich with some roasted red pepper, red onion, a little arugula and goat cheese. Eggplant is great in stews such as Ratatouille as well as in layered casseroles such as Eggplant Parmesan and Moussaka.

Today's recipe for Baba Ghanouj is a delicious and easy eggplant and tahini dip. It's wonderful served with fresh pita bread or chips. You can also eat it in a sandwich. Try spreading a thick layer of Baba Ghanouj on whole wheat bread or in a pita pocket. Add sliced tomato, a few cucumber slices, thinly sliced red onion, and some microgreens or sprouts for a tasty meal.

Baba Ghanouj

1 1 lb eggplant
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped and pounded to a coarse paste
4-5 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
2-3 T tahini (sesame paste)
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t salt, or to taste
1/4 t pepper, or to taste
2-4 T chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Using the tines of a fork, prick the skin of eggplant in a couple of places. Place on a baking sheet and roast the whole eggplant in the oven until it is very soft. About 45 minutes. Set aside to cool. [If you're firing up the grill, roasting the eggplant on the grill is a delicious alternative.]

3. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, cut it in half and scoop out the soft flesh into a bowl. Compost the peel.

4. In a food processor, or with a fork, mash the eggplant until smooth. If you prefer to have your eggplant a little chunky, that's fine, too.

5. Stir in (or process in) all of the remaining ingredients. Stir until well-combined and smooth.

6. Adjust the seasoning. Add more lemon juice ir tahini, if you prefer. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I like to use a food mill for step 3 as it grinds the eggplant to a coarse texture, but food mills aren't common kitchen utensils anymore. If you have one, do try it with this recipe.

Using roasted garlic instead of fresh garlic is a nice way to mellow out the strong garlic flavor of this dish. Sometimes I like to add some smoked paprika, too.

You can find tahini in the Middle Eastern section of most markets. If yours doesn't carry it, there are dozens of little Armenian markets in Hollywood and Glendale that are very likely to carry tahini.

Today's bounty included:

From Underwood Family Farms: blackberries, Valencia oranges, romaine, red leaf lettuce, carrots, Cherokee heirloom tomatoes, Hass avocados, yellow wax beans, eggplant, bi-color corn, and Blue Lake green beans.

From Sage Mountain Farm: Roma tomatoes, mixed heirloom tomatoes, green scallions, Russian kale, and cucumber.

From Sweet Tree Farm: Nectarines and pluots.

From Weiser Family Farms: French Fingerling potatoes.

And from Silver Lake Farms: Basil, arugula, and mustard microgreens.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Fried Eggplant

John's white eggplants
















patty pan squash from John














French morning melons from Underwood Family Farm

Here's what Farmer John had for us in Silver Lake this week:

Oranges
Italian frying peppers
Avocados
White eggplant
Pattypan squash
Red chard
Carrots
Collard greens
Cherry tomatoes
Zucchini blossoms
Dandelion greens




And here's what Tara brought down this afternoon from Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark:

Red potatoes
French morning melon
Saticoy melon
Golden beets
Sweet corn
Yellow wax beans
Romaine lettuce
Green bell peppers
Cherokee heirloom tomato

Just about anything tastes good fried and eggplant is no exception. In fact, frying slices of eggplant brings out its creamy texture.

There are many ways to fry eggplant. My favorite is to use a mixture of finely ground cornmeal and panko, a Japanese-style breadcrumb that's very light and airy. Panko mixes nicely with the heavier textured cornmeal. You can find panko in many full-service markets as well as most Asian markets.

Eggplant used to have a reputation for being somewhat bitter, but most varieties have had the bitterness breeded out. If you're concerned about bitter flavor, you can mitigate it by salting the slices before cooking and allowing them to sit for 30-60 minutes while the salt pulls water and the bitterness out of the eggplant. Set the eggplant slices on a rack or in a colander, salt liberally, allow the water to drain off, rinse off the salt, and proceed with the recipe.

Fried Eggplant

1 medium eggplant
3-4 T flour
1 egg + 1 T water
1/2 C finely ground cornmeal
1/2 C panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying

1. Slice the eggplant crosswise in 1/4 inch slices.

2. Place flour on a plate.

3. Beat the egg and water together until combined and pour into a shallow bowl

4. Mix together the cornmeal and panko. Season with salt and pepper to taste. spread on a plate.

5. Take an eggplant slice, dredge it in flour until lightly covered on both sides, shake off the excess, dip the floured slice in the beaten egg, then coat with the cornmeal-panko mixture. Shake off the excess and arrange on a plate in a single layer.

6. Heat 1/4 inch of olive oil in a heavy skillet. When oil is hot, fry eggplant slices a few at a time, turning them once, until brown on both sides. Don't crowd them. Frying too many slices at once lowers the temperature of the oil and may cause the eggplant slices to become soggy. Add more oil to the skillet as necessary.

7. When brown on both sides, remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.

The eggplant slices are delicious served hot or warm. They're great plain or served with a hearty tomato sauce. They're also good with garlic mayonnaise or a tempura-style dipping sauce.

You can bread the eggplant slices ahead of time and keep them loosely covered in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before frying them.

Enjoy!

Shelley