(from CSA member, Susan Griffin)
4 T extra virgin olive oil
2 small eggplants, cubed
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 c chopped celery
1/2 c chopped green bell pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 t oregano dried
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large can of tomato sauce (or Roma tomatoes roasted with olive oil, peeled and mashed)
Mix ingredients and saute in olive oil. Add tomatoes and cook in oven for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees. Add cheese on top at the end until melted.
Rolled Eggplant with Sausage & Mozzarella
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lb. Italian or Asian eggplant, trimmed and cut lengthwise into slices 1/4 inch thick
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- 5 oz. Italian sausage, casings removed
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces
- 4 Tbs. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 450°F.
Brush the eggplant on both sides with the 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned underneath, about 10 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake until tender, 5 to 7 minutes more. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
In a fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the 2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the sausage and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
In a bowl, stir together the ricotta, mozzarella, 2 Tbs. of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Spread half of the sauce on the bottom of a 9-inch baking dish. Place a spoonful of the cheese mixture near the wide end of each eggplant slice, roll up, and place upright or upside down in the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce between the rolls. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 Tbs. Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake until the sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Roasted-Eggplant Dip with Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
- 3 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds)
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1/2 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
Directions
Using tongs, cook eggplants one at a time over the flame of a gas burner (or a grill), turning as skin chars and bubbles, until completely soft, about 15 minutes. (If eggplant doesn't soften, finish cooking on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven.) Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel off charred skin and discard. Coarsely chop the eggplants, and place in a colander to drain, about 1 hour. Finely chop, and transfer to a bowl.
Smash garlic and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to make a paste. Mix into eggplant. Stir in oil. Mix in yogurt and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. (Dip can be refrigerated, for up to 1 day.) Drizzle with oil before serving.
Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
- Yield: Serves 8
First cut the eggplant and salt the eggplant rounds. Then prep the rest of the ingredients while the eggplant rounds are releasing their moisture.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 lbs (about 2 large) eggplants
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove minced garlic (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), tomatoes diced, reserve juices
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 3/4 cup flour
- 4 eggs, beaten (more if needed)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (plus more to oil the sheet pans)
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1 Slice the eggplants into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick rounds. Lay the eggplant slices out on a rack over a rimmed sheet pan (or on several layers of paper towels). Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant rounds lightly with salt. Let the eggplant rounds sit and release moisture for 2 hours.
2 Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and gently cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and their juices. Increase heat to bring to a simmer, lower heat to maintain a very low simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the minced basil and remove from heat.
3 Combine 1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, and place in a shallow bowl or rimmed dish. Set up your station so that you have flour in one shallow bowl, beaten eggs in another bowl, and the breadcrumb cheese mixture in another, in that order
4 Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spread a tablespoon of olive oil each over the bottom of two rimmed baking sheet pans. Pat dry the eggplant slices with paper towels. Working one at a time dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour, then dip in the beaten eggs, and then dredge in the breadcrumb parmesan cheese mixture. Place on oiled sheet pan. Drizzle a little oil over the top of each breaded eggplant round.
5 Place breaded prepared eggplant slices in the oven. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes, turning the slices over at the half-way point, until they are nicely browned. Remove from oven, and let cool to touch.
6 Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Place a third of the eggplant rounds in a single layer covering the sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Layer half of the sliced mozzarella on top of the eggplant rounds. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
Place another third of the eggplant rounds over the cheese. Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the eggplant rounds. Layer the rest of the sliced mozzarella over the sauce. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of grated Parm.
Add the remaining eggplant in a single layer on top of the cheese. Top with the remaining sauce and the remaining Parmesan.
7 Bake uncovered at 350°F for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into to serve.
