Nope - not close enough for a drive-by eggplant pickup! I’m going to need eveything I’ve got, too. Sure, send me the recipes. I love, or should I say LOVE! eggplant moussaka & I do like eggplant parm. Thanks for reminding me about the moussaka.
I did get Tahini this morning to make the Baba Ganoush so I’m definitely going to try it. The eggplants are still blooming so I’m sure I’ll get another couple of large Black Beauty fruits & then I can try the moussaka recipe. Funny thing, until last year, I could never grow eggplants. The flea beetles ate them up when they were young & if I more or less got them past the flea beetles, I never got very good eggplants. I don’t know what happened, but last year I had gigantic eggplants (the green part) & quite a few large Black Beauties fruits. Even my SIL said she’d never seen such huge eggplant plants. This year, I’m growing them in my straw bale garden & while the plants themselves are not as big, they’re producing really well.
All, I am jealous. I don’t think there’s anything prettier than a bright purple firm eggplant
I’m going to have to go into the supermarket and buy one now. I doubt if our local farmers markets have any but I will check there too.
I know this isn’t the cooking thread, but we have to deal with the produce we grow, right? ;)
Moussaka
3 eggplants
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T butter
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp fines herbs
2 T dried parsley
8oz tomato sauce
1 egg, beaten
4 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
6 T flour
1 1/2 cups Parmesan
salt & white pepper to taste
cheese
Peel and cut eggplants lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices. Lay on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. In the skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry eggplant until browned. Set on paper towels to drain. Melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper, onions and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs, and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg. To make the béchamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk. Melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Lower heat, gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt and white pepper. Arrange a layer of half a eggplant in a greased 9 x 13” baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the meat. Cover with the remaining eggplant and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the national sauce over the top and sprinkle with the nutmeg and the remaining cheese. Bake for one hour at 350°.
Eggplant Parmesan - really good!
Oil
2 large eggplants
4 ounces grated Romano
4 eggs
Bread crumbs
1 quart marinara sauce
8 oz sliced mozzarella
flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and heat oil in a large pan, Dutch oven or deep-fryer. Peel the eggplant and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices lengthwise. Coat each side of the eggplant with the flour. In a separate bowl beat 4 eggs and dip the eggplant into the egg to coat both sides. Then take your bread crumbs and do the same to coat each side. Once the oil is hot, put the eggplant in the hot oil and fry until dark brown & stiff. You can also use a deep-fryer and leave in for about 2 to 3 minutes. Once all of the eggplant has been fried, get a rectangular baking pan and start the layering by adding the marinara sauce to the bottom of the pan, then the eggplant, more sauce, fresh mozzarella, Romano cheese, and continue to layer until you have reached the top of the pan. Top off with sauce, mozzarella, and grated Romano Place the eggplant into the oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. (One eggplant = 8x8 dish)
Stuffed Eggplant Rollatini - this is pretty good too. I brought some to a friend that doesn’t like eggplant (I found out afterwards) and she said she liked it
1 eggplant, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices 1 egg, beaten
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 Ts olive oil 1 cup ricotta cheese
10 slices prosciutto
2 cups mozzarella
14 oz spaghetti sauce
1 pound angel hair pasta
Dip the eggplant slices in egg, then coat with bread crumbs. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant on each side until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese onto each slice of eggplant. Place a slice of prosciutto onto each one. Roll up tightly, and place seam side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over the rolls, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. While the eggplant rolls are baking, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the angel hair pasta, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender. Drain. Serve eggplant rolls and sauce over pasta.