riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (10/18/83)
(This is a somewhat rhetorical question. I can think of several
answers to it myself, but I'm interested in what the other cooks
on the net will have to say.)
Somebody has just handed me an eggplant. I stare at it dumbly and
don't know what to do. What's your advice?
(Any answers requiring rot13 should be sent to net.jokes, not
net.cooks. Thank you. :-) )
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Prentiss Riddle
{ihnp4,kpno,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle
riddle@ut-sally.UUCPjbc@ut-sally.UUCP (10/19/83)
What can be said? Eggplant just isn't wildly inspiring, and one can serve ratatouille nicoise and moussaka only so often. My two favorite "unusual" eggplant recipes follow: 1. 2 tbsp. butter 2 tbsp. flour 1 c. tomato juice 2 c. mashed cooked eggplant 1 c. ricotta cheese 3/4 c. soft bread crumbs 2 eggs, separated 1 tsp. grated onion salt, pepper Melt butter, blend in flour, gradually add tomato juice and stir until thick. Add eggplant, cheese, bread crumbs, beaten yolks, onion, s&p to taste. Fold in stiffly beaten whites. Turn into greased souffle and bake @ 350 F about 45 min. or until set. 4-6. 2. Olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 med. eggplant, peeled 1/4 c. diced green pepper 2 tbsp. minced onion 2 lg. tomatoes, peeled and diced 1/8 tsp. each oregano, rosemary salt and pepper 2 cups cooked shell macaroni, ziti, whatever... 1/2 cup grated Parmesan In a large frying pan, bring 1/8 in. oil to medium heat. Add garlic and 1/2 in. slices of eggplant. Brown eggplant on both sides, adding more oil as needed to maintain the depth. Remove eggplant, add pepper and onion, cook about 3 min or so. Add tomatoes, seasonings, s&p to taste, simmer about 5 min. Alternate layers of pasta, eggplant, cheese, sauce in a greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole. Cover tightly, bake @ 350 F about 30 min. 4-6.
ptw@vaxine.UUCP (P. T. Withington) (10/20/83)
I hope you're not serious, eggplants are wonderful! Slice and fry, stuff, or get real exotic and try moussaka or baba ganou (sp?, please excuse my Armenian). 't` --Tucker (ptw@vaxine.UUCP) ~
leimkuhl@uiuccsb.UUCP (10/23/83)
#R:ut-sally:-21300:uiuccsb:7000013:000:1140 uiuccsb!leimkuhl Oct 21 12:11:00 1983 Eggplant, Zuccini, and Cheese Casserole. 3 or 4 medium Zuccini 1 large Eggplant 1 or 2 Tomatoes sliced 1 or 2 Onions sliced thin. 1/2 lb grated Cheddar (or other cheese(s)) pepper 4 tbsp.s butter 2 tabs olive oil Oven to 350. Chop Zuccini, Eggplant into large chunks (2", say). Place in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with 2 cups of boiling water and cook for about 5 or 10 minutes, drain thoroughly and set aside. Generously grease a large casserole or baking dish and set aside. In the same heavy saucepan, heat butter + oil and saute sliced onions till transparent. Place 1/2 the Zuccini+Eggplant in the baking dish, layer on 1/2 the onions and 1/2 the tomatoes, sprinkle on 1/8 tsp pepper, and top with 1/2 the cheese; repeat. Cover and bake about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and cook for about 5 minutes to reduce moisture. This recipe comes from my sister Kristin in San Fransisco, so maybe it should be called "California style" or something like that. You can try mushrooms or black olives or green peppers or ?? in addition to the Zuccini and Eggplant. Ben Leimkuhler (uiucdcs!uiuccsb!leimkuhl)
moiram@tektronix.UUCP (Moira Mallison ) (11/03/83)
This recipe for Moussaka is divine...it takes a lot of effort: well-suited
for rainy Sunday afternoons (we have a lot of those here). The newspaper
article I got it from says it best. Prepare this for someone who will
appreciate it. Its wasted on one who would be just as happy with steak
and potatoes.
MOUSSAKA
Olive oil
3 lbs eggplant
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
TOMATO SAUCE
2 large onions
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
2 cups minced mushrooms
3 tomatoes, peeled and pureed
3 T tomato paste
3/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp cinnamon
1 T finely chopped garlic
1 T oregano
1 tsp sugar
BECHAMEL SAUCE
4 cups milk
1 cube butter
6 T flour
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp white pepper
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup dry bread crumbs
2 cups grated Kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese
Peel eggplants. Sslice 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices lengthwise. Sprinkle
slices lightly with salt and place them side by side in colander
to drain. Weight with plate with heavy object set on top of it.
Let drain 30 minutes. Rinse well with cold water; squeeze gently and
pat dry.
Spread flour on a plate and dredge eggplant slices in it. Saute in
olive oil.
TOMATO SAUCE: peel and mince onions. Heat 2 T oil and 2 T butter in
skillet over moderate heat. Add onion and saute until soft and lightly
colored, ~8 min. Add minced mushrooms and saute. Stir in pureed
tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, parsley, seasonings and sugar. Reduce
heat to low. Simmer uncovered until most of the liquid is evaporated,
and the mixture is thick (30-45 min) stirring occasionally.
Remove skillet from heat and let it cool completely. Remove and discard
any excess oil that has risen to the top.
BECHAMEL SAUCE: Place milk in 1.5 quart saucepan and heat it just until
tiny bubbles appear along the edges. Remove and set aside.
Melt 1 cube butter in 3 quart saucepan over very low hear until foamy,
being careful not to brown. Add flour slowly, stirring constantly
with wire whisk until smooth (3-4 min). Do not let roux brown. Add
milk slowly, whipping briskly with wire whisk. When the mixture is
thickened and smooth, remove it from heat and stir in nutmeg and pepper.
Cool sauce slightly. Stir ricotta until it is creamy and smooth and
gently fold it into sauce. Stir in the eggs until they are thoroughly
incorporated into the mixture.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Lightly grease 16 x 10 inch baking pan and sprinkle the bottom with a
few tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Beginnning with eggplant, arrange
alternate layers of eggplant slices and tomato sauce in pan, sprinkling
each layer with breadcrumbs and cheese. Pour bechamel-ricotta sauce over
the top and bake one hour or until a golden-brown crust has formed on
top.
Remove moussaka from oven and let stand undisturbed 20-30 minutes; the
delay allows the layers to fuse.