Update!

Update on July 12th post (Nonna's Pickled Eggplant).

Today was opening day! Opening the jar that had been marinating in the fridge for 1 week, that is...

I'm embarrassed to admit that there is only 1/2 a jar left - that's right, Nonna's Pickled Eggplant was amazing, and I've made a pig of myself!

I've decided there's only one solution...

Need. More. Eggplant.

Nonna's Pickled Eggplant (Melanzane Sott'olio)

Before reading or trying this recipe, please read the FDA article, http://www.enotalone.com/article/10280.html and do a search on garlic + oil + botulism. Educate yourself!

While I can state that my family has used the following recipe for generations, and never had a problem, I am not a medical professional, nor a scientist, so I can't explain why we've never encountered botulism. Could it be the fact that we refrigerate the product soon after preparing, or the acidic vinegar (long known as a preservative) in the recipe, or the fact that our family always has a braid of well-dried garlic hanging the kitchen for use, or just plain luck? I have no idea... All I can say is do your research, read what's been said, follow directions exactly for preserving, and if you're still not comfortable - DON'T TRY THIS RECIPE! Believe me, I won't be offended, we all have our own comfort levels.

That being said...

This recipe is probably my favorite one of Nonna's, and it was passed down to her from generations before. It was lost to me for several years after she passed away, but with some research and tweaking, I've managed to replicate it exactly to my childhood memories!

Nonna's Pickled Eggplant

3/4 lb eggplant (Chinese eggplant is my favorite, but any variety will work - remember, smaller is better!)

Coarse Kosher Salt

3/4 cup (give or take) white vinegar

about 1 and 1/2 cups water (2:1 ratio with vinegar)

4 medium garlic cloves, peeled, washed, and dried well

1 TBL fresh basil, minced

1 tsp fresh oregano, minced

1 tsp dried red pepper flakes (or 1 small whole dried cayenne pepper, crushed)

High quality extra virgin olive oil

Sterilized jar, of a size to barely fit your eggplant strips (8 oz, maybe?)


Trim ends from eggplant, and peel. Slice horizontally, turn, slice horizontally again, and then vertically into 2 in strips. I know this may be confusing, sorry - what you want are strips the size of short shoestring french fries.

Place your strips in a non-metal colander, sprinkle with coarse Kosher salt, and toss well. Place colander over bowl, or in sink, covered with a double layer of paper towels, for 30 min. This allows the eggplant to 'sweat', removing excess moisture and bitterness (bitterness is not usually a problem with small eggplants).

Rinse eggplant strips well with cold water, drain, and pat dry well with paper towels.

Combine vinegar and water in a non reactive saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil. Add eggplant, and boil for 2-3 minutes.

Pour eggplant into colander, and drain well. After draining, squeeze strips between paper towels to dry. (Don't worry, that lovely vinegar 'tang' will remain)

Mix your minced fresh herbs together well.

Pour a thin layer of oil into the bottom of your sterilized jar. Add some eggplant strips, a clove of garlic, some of your herb mix, and repeat, starting with more oil. Continue until your jar is completely full, being sure the eggplant is totally covered with oil, and no 'headroom' is left. I use the handle end of a wooden spoon to 'poke', and make sure all air is removed. Seal your jar tightly, and allow to cool ONLY TO ROOM TEMP! then place in fridge.

Allow to marinate for a week, (this is the absolutely hardest part of this recipe - I want my pickled eggplant NOW!) and then enjoy!

*Your oil may solidify as a result of refrigeration, but don't worry, it's fine. Just remove pickled eggplant from fridge about 15 min before serving, and the oil will liquefy again.
**I cannot attest to the shelf life of this pickled eggplant, but I wouldn't store it more than 2 weeks (yes, even refrigerated, see safety precautions above). We don't have that problem around here - it never lasts more than a day or 2 after the marinating is over! :-)

Enjoy!

Eggplant!!

I'm baaacckkk!

Let's get right to it - A friend is in need of eggplant recipes, and I'm always willing to help out a friend!

So...early Saturday morning, off to the Memphis Farmers Market I went, in search of some delightful Chinese eggplant. I easily achieved my goal, and also picked up some Ripley, TN cherry tomatoes (more on that later). I could easily have left with a ton of beautiful produce, but I remained focused...

Back at home, I was in a mood to grill, so I decided to make Eggplant and Goat Cheese rolls, one of my favorite ways with eggplant, with some of my little purple beauties.

*My camera (well, its batteries) was giving me fits yesterday, so I don't have step-by-step pics, but hopefully my descriptions will do...

Eggplant and Goat Cheese Rolls

2-3 small Chinese Eggplants (other varieties are fine, I just happen to love Chinese
- total weight should be 1 to 1 and 1/2 lbs)

Coarse Kosher Salt

1/4 to 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar, for marinating

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

1 lg clove garlic, finely minced

6 oz goat cheese (I like the plain Montchevre)

5 large leaves of fresh basil, minced

2 TBL fresh oregano, minced

2 TBL fresh parsley, minced

Trim ends from eggplants, and then thinly slice, horizontally. (1/4in is a good thickness) You want long, thin strips.

Lay strips in single layer on double thickness of paper towels, sprinkle with coarse Kosher salt, and cover with another double layer of paper towels. Allow to 'sweat' for 20-30 min. This removes the excess moisture, and bitterness, if any, from the slices.

Rinse slices with cold water, and pat dry with fresh paper towels.

In med bowl, whisk together Balsamic vinegar, and both types of pepper. Pour 1/2 of mixture into a long, (non-metal) shallow baking dish, cover with eggplant strips, and then pour the rest of the mixture over top of the strips. Cover, and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.

Put olive oil and garlic into a small saute pan, and warm slowly over low heat. The low heat allows the garlic to release its sweetness. As soon as tiny bubbles begin to appear in the oil, remove the pan from the heat, and set aside (do not allow the garlic to begin to brown!) Let cool - the slow cooling process will infuse the oil with wonderful garlic flavor.

In a med bowl, mix goat cheese well with the minced basil, oregano, and parsley. Cover, and refrigerate.

About 30 min. before the marinating is done, fire up your charcoal grill. When it comes to grilling, I'm a 100% charcoal girl, so if you're using a gas grill, you'll have to adapt this part.

At the 2 hour marinating mark, remove the eggplant from the fridge, and allow to rest for about 20 min. Also remove your goat cheese mixture from the fridge at this time - its flavors will intensify as it comes to room temp. After the rest period, hopefully your coals will be nice and white/gray, completely ashed over. Arrange your hot coals in a single layer, and situate your grill grate about 2 in above the fire. Drain eggplant of marinade, arrange on platter, and brush top sides with your garlic infused oil.

Place eggplant slices on grill, oiled side down, and lightly brush oil on exposed side. A good fire will grill your slices quickly - it only takes about 2 min per side. You want the slices browned, but still soft. Remove your eggplants slices at that stage, to a clean platter.






As soon as the eggplant slices are cool enough to handle, spread each with a layer of goat cheese mixture (how much is your business - I use a bit of a heavy hand here, love that goat cheese!). Starting at the smallest end, roll up slices, pinwheel fashion.

I tend to roll my slices almost right off the grill, so the residual heat melts the goat cheese a bit. If you don't have my heatproof fingertips, lol, you can also pop your rolls into a preheated 375F oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese a bit, or not. Good goat cheese is good goat cheese, melted or unmelted. ;-) *Do not attempt to heat in the microwave! Microwaving cause the cheese to break down, leaving you with a grainy filling - not a good thing, take my word for it...

I can't give you the number of servings for this one - everyone's appetite is different, and it also depends on whether the rolls are being served as an appetizer, side dish, or even a main meal. You're on your own with that!

Enjoy!!

Stay tuned for another eggplant recipe, one that's been a favorite of my family for generations...

Avignon Tomato And Eggplant Casserole

A tasty and filling vegetarian main dish.



* 1 large eggplant
* salt to taste
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 4 medium sized tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and diced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 tsp sugar
* 1/2 cup bread crumbs
* black pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 and 1/2 Tbl melted butter


Preheat oven to 375F. Remove stem and skin eggplant, and cut it crosswise into 1/2" thick slices. Lay the round slices in a single layer on a plate, sprinkle liberally with salt, and set aside for about 30 minutes to allow the salt to draw out excess moisture. Wipe salt and excess moisture from eggplant, and dredge in flour. In wide skillet,heat all but 1 Tbl oil, and fry eggplant, turning once, until browned on both sides. remove from heat. In the same skillet, heat the remaining Tbl oil and add the tomatoes, garlic, and sugar. Cook for approximately five minutes. Add 1 Tbl bread crumbs with salt and black pepper. In a casserole dish, arrange eggplant and tomatoes, beginning with eggplant on the bottom, and ending with tomatoes on the top. combine the remaining bread crumbs with the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle on top. Dribble the melted butter over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the bread crumb and cheese topping is browned. Serves 4.

Oven-Baked Macaroni with Eggplant

This meatless dish can be served as a side item, but is filling and tasty enough for a main dish!



* 2 medium eggplants, 2 lbs total weight
* salt
* Olive oil for frying eggplant
* 1/2 extra virgin olive oil
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 3 lbs fresh tomatoes. peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 3 lbs drained canned tomatoes (about 4 and 1/2 cups), chopped
* salt
* 3 Tbl chopped fresh basil
* Pinch of sugar
* 1 lb short macaroni, such as ziti or penne
* 2 oz butter (4 Tbl)
* 4 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
* 8 oz fresh mozzarella, finely chopped or grated


# Wash eggplant, but do not peel. Cut into 1/8 inch slices and place in colander, salting each layer. Place a plate and a weight (such as a can or two of vegetables) on top and drain for one hour. Pat dry and squeeze gently to remove excess liquid.
# Put 1/4 inch olive oil into a frying pan and heat to very hot. Fry one layer of eggplant at a time, turning to brown both sides. Drain on paper towels, layering the eggplant and towels as necessary.
# Put 1/4 cup olive oil, onion, and garlic in a 2 qt. pot Saute until softened until softened but not browned. Add the tomatoes and salt. Cook until water has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Add the basil 5 minutes before cooking is finished. Taste for seasonings and add a pinch of sugar.
# Cook the macaroni in 5 qts boiling salted water. Drain while macaroni is still quite firm, after about 7 minutes. Mix with the butter, and half of the Parmesan cheese and salt if necessary.
# Preheat oven to 350F. Spread a little of the tomato sauce on the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Layer the pasta, eggplant, mozzarella, and the sauce until all the ingredients are used up, ending with one thin layer of eggplant. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and bake for 40 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Eggplant in Savory Sauce

This dish is best prepared the night before serving, to allow the eggplant to absorb the wonderful flavor of the sauce. To serve as a finger food with cocktails, roll up eggplant slices, and secure with toothpick.


* 6 small, or 3 medium eggplants
* Extra virgin olive oil
* 6-8 fresh oregano leaves, minced
* 2 cloves garlic. peeled
* 4 or 5 anchovy fillets, drained
* 1/4 tsp hot red chili pepper flakes
* 4 or 5 sprigs fresh parsley
* 3 Tbl balsamic vinegar
* Fresh basil leaves for garnish


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cut eggplant into 1/4 thick rounds. Brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with oregano. Bake, turning once, until soft, 10-20 minutes.
3. Place garlic, anchovies, hot red pepper, and parsley in a food processor or blender. Add 3 Tbl olive oil and the vinegar - puree.
4. Arrange eggplant slices on serving plate and pour sauce over them. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours. (overnight is even better)
5. Let dish come to room temperature before serving. Garnish with basil leaves.

Eggplant and Olive Pasta Sauce

This sauce is perfect for those times when you are in hurry, but still want to serve a tasty meal. Goes especially well when served over Penne or Ziti pastas.



* 6 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
* 1 small eggplant (about 1 lb) trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
* 1 small (6 oz) can tomato paste
* 1/4 cup chopped green olives
* 1 Tbl capers, rinsed and drained
* 1 Tbl fresh basil, chopped
* 1 Tbl fresh parsley, chopped
* 2 tsp red wine vinegar
* 1/2 tsp salt
* black pepper to taste
* pinch of sugar


Directions

1. Heat 4 Tbl olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat, add eggplant. Saute, stirring constantly, until eggplant is tender and browned, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
2. Add remaining 2 Tbl oil to skillet. Stir in eggplant, tomato paste, olives, capers, basil, parsley, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cover and summer 5 minutes. Toss hot pasta with sauce and serve immediately.

Beef and Spaghetti Surprise

This is a great way to use up that leftover cooked pasta.

• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing


• 2 medium sized eggplants


• 3/4 lb ground beef


• 1 small onion, chopped


• 2 garlic cloves, minced


• 2 Tbl tomato paste


• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes


• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce


• 1/2 tsp dried oregano


• 1/2 cup sliced black olives


• 1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped


• 6-8 oz cooked spaghetti


• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (or use Roman cheese for a little stronger flavor)


• salt and pepper to taste


• fresh parsley sprigs, for garnish

1. Brush an 8 inch round cake pan with oil.


2. Slice eggplants into 1/2 inch slices. Heat a little oil in skillet over medium heat, and fry eggplant slices for 3-4 minutes or until browned on both sides. Do this in batches, do not crowd slices. Drain on paper towels.


3. Put ground beef, onion, and garlic in saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, Worcestershire, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add olives and bell pepper and cook for an additional 10 minutes.


4. Add meat mixture to the cooked spaghetti, add cheese, and toss well.


5. Arrange eggplant slices on the bottom, and around the sides of the cake pan. Add spaghetti, press down firmly, and cover the top with the rest of the eggplant. Bake in 400F oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, and let rest for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Aubergine (Eggplant)

Today, I'd like to share a great aubergine (eggplant) site I've found:
Ashbury's Aubergines

3116 Eggplant recipes and counting! For eggplant lovers, (like me) this is the only site you'll ever need - more eggplant recipes than I've ever seen, well organized, and in great detail!

Now, an eggplant recipe from my files...

Melanzane Al Forno
(Baked Eggplant with Garlic and Parsley)
Serves 6

1 and 1/2 lbs eggplant
Salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbl freshly chopped garlic
2 Tbl freshly chopped parsley
Black pepper

1) Trim eggplant tops and slice across widthwise into disks 1 and 1/2 inches thick. On one side of each disk, make crisscross incisions, spaced 1 inch apart; do not cutt all the way through.
2)Spread eggplant slices on inside wall of large colander; set over a bowl, and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 30-45 minutes.
3) Preheat oven to 450F
4) In baking pan large enough to accommodate eggplant slices in one layer, smear bottom lightly with olive oil. Place eggplant in pan in single layer, crosshatched side up.
5) Sprinkle garlic and parsley over eggplant evenly, and press into cuts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour 1/2 of olive oil over eggplant, getting as much as you can into cuts.
6)Place pan on top shelf of oven. After 5 minutes, remove pan, pour the rest of olive oil over eggplant, and return to oven Bake for at least 15 minutes, untill eggplant is very tender.