Eggplant

[evernew]

I was out for supper the other night, and was interested in trying a pasta dish that had eggplant in it, however, I have never tried eggplant before, so I chickened out.
So while I was out grocery shopping today, I bought an eggplant, but....I have no idea what to do with this thing. Any suggestions from the fabulous cooks who frequent this board!

[ssmarie]

Eggplant Rollups


1 Medium Eggplant

2 Tablespoons Salt

2 Eggs

2 Cups Bread Crumbs

Thin Slices Mozzarella Cheese

Thin Slices Prosciutto

Sun-Dried Tomatoes Packed In Oil

Oil For Frying


Peel the eggplant, and cut it into 1/4 inch slices lengthwise. Place these slices in a colander with salt sprinkled between the layers. Sit a heavy dish on top of the eggplant, and leave it to drain about 1 hour. Rinse, and pat the slices dry. Dip each slice first into the beaten egg, and then into the bread crumbs. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the oil to 375 degrees F., and fry the eggplant slices until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Slice the sun dried tomatoes into long slivers. Lay out each eggplant slice, and then place on this a couple of the sun dried tomato slivers. Place a layer of prosciutto, and finally a slice of Mozzarella cheese, all cut to fit. Roll up the eggplant like a cigar lengthwise, and secure with a toothpick. Once you have completed all the rolls, place them on a slightly oiled baking sheet, and bake 7-10 minutes or until hot. Serve.

[ssmarie]

Eggplant and Tomato Salad

This recipe is a great side dish, light lunch salad, or even a tasty addition to an antipasti platter. If you cannot find the small, Italian eggplants used in this recipe, just look for the smallest ones you can find. I have made this salad both on an outdoor grill, as well as on my stove top grill with equally good results.


6 Small, Firm Eggplants (About 4-5 Inches In Length)

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 1/2 Cups Ripe Cherry Or Grape Tomatoes Cut In Half

2 Green Onions, Finely Chopped

2 Tablespoons Chopped Capers

3 Tablespoons Chopped, Fresh Herb Of Choice (I used Parsley, But Mint And Basil Work Equally Well)

2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

Salt And Pepper To Taste


Slice the eggplants into 1/2 inch rounds. Heat up the grill and brush it lightly with a little of the olive oil. Lay the eggplant rounds on the grill, and brush the tops lightly with olive oil. Grill about 2 minutes on each side, or until they are soft and golden brown. Remove the cooked eggplant to a serving platter, and continue cooking until they are all completely cooked.

Spread over the eggplants, the cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic, parsley and capers. Mix the remaining oil with the balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle over the dish. Season with salt and pepper, and mix the mixture lightly, being careful not to break up the eggplant. Serve warm or at room temperature.

[ssmarie]

Eggplant-Ziti Parmesan

Yields: 8 servings

Serve with crusty italian bread, and a tossed salad. It seems like a lot of work but it's not. I hope you enjoy your meal."

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium eggplant, peeled and
thinly sliced
1 (16 ounce) package dry ziti
pasta
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta
cheese
2 eggs, beaten 1 pound mozzarella cheese,
shredded
1/2 cup grated Pecorino
Romano cheese
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti
sauce, or your favorite recipe
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the eggplant slices in a bowl, and sprinkle with salt. Let drain over a bowl in the refrigerator for at least an hour. I like to do this overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook for about 6 minutes, or until almost tender. It will cook the rest of the way in the oven. Drain. Mix together the ricotta cheese and eggs in a small bowl. Stir in half of the mozzarella cheese and Pecorino Romano cheese.
3. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange layers of eggplant, cheese, ziti pasta, and more sauce all the way to the top of the pan. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and cheese is lightly browned.

[BAILEYDOG]

I mix oil - salt and pepper and garlic together and brush it on the eggplant slices and grill them on the BBQ until tender.

[tasma]

Eggplant Parmigian w/ Lean Ground Beef
Spray 2 cookie sheets with olive oil (or Pam). Slice 2-3 small eggplants into ¾-inch slices (not as bitter as the big ones...don’t peel them). Now, spray the tops. At 350-degrees, bake for about 30 minutes, or until browned. Turn after about 15 minutes.

Sauce

1/2 small onion, diced
1/4 tsp minced garlic, preferably fresh
1/4 c. olive oil
3- 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup red wine or more (Phase 2)
1/2-1 tsp Tony Chachere’s More Spice Seasoning, optional
dash of sweetener, optional (to mellow the sauce)
4 oz. canned/fresh mushrooms
1 ½ lbs lean gr beef

8 oz. Morningstar Farms Griller Burger Style Crumbles

Directions:
1. If using lean gr. beef sauté it with onion and garlic in olive oil.
Add tomato sauce through mushrooms. Stir well. Simmer for 30 min, stirring occasionally.
2. Mix together: 12 oz low-fat ricotta w/salt & pepper, a pinch of garlic, and 2-3 T. Parmesan cheese.
3. Layer in a 9 x 13 baking dish: 1 c. sauce (or more), eggplant, shredded mozzarella on EACH slice, eggplant, 1 T. ricotta mixture on EACH slice, mozzarella on EACH slice, a little sauce over each slice, and top with a little Parmesan.
4. Bake at 350-degrees about 30 min. or until cheese is hot and bubbly.

NOTE: I hope this makes sense because I am a dump & pour kind of cook and don’t have most of my recipes written out. My guests raved over this, I was so proud and said, “It’s on my eating plan”...they couldn’t believe it. If you want...just leave the “meats” off. I always use this sauce recipe w/o meat as a marinara sauce. If you want you can add tomatoes, zucchini, green pepper, etc. This is even good the next day. Enjoy!


Italian Eggplant with Garlic
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
¼ cup minced fresh basil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
4 small eggplants (12 oz each) or 10 baby eggplants (3 oz each)
1 TB grated lemon peel

Directions:
1. In 1-quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat; add garlic slices and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in minced basil, salt and pepper.
2. Preheat broiler. Cut eggplant lengthwise into ¾-inch slices. Lightly score both sides of each slice w/ a crisscross pattern.
3. Place half of eggplant slices in single layer on rack in broiling pan. Brush lightly w/ olive oil mixture from saucepan. Broil eggplant 7 to 9 inches from heat source for 10 min. Turn eggplant over, brush w/ remaining mixture, gently pressing garlic slices and minced basil into slits in eggplant.
4. Broil eggplant 10 min. longer, until fork-tender; transfer to platter. Sprinkle eggplant with lemon peel.

No-Pasta Lasagna
Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:
1 lb. turkey bacon, chopped
2 1bs. Lean hamburger meat
1 ½ lbs. Italian sausage
2 C. mushrooms sliced
4 C. Low-sugar tomato sauce
3 lbs. zucchini or peeled eggplant, sliced thin, lengthwise
2 c. low-fat/part-skim ricotta
1/2 C. chopped basil
4 C.+ low fat mozzarella shreds or thin slices
1 C. low fat Parmesan, fresh grated
salt/pepper
1 C. onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
dry oregano and thyme to taste

How to Prepare:
Use the dry herbs to season the sauce. Sauté the onions until golden. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes on medium heat. Add to sauce. Use same sauté pan to brown the meats, and drain well. Grease a 9” x 13” baking pan. Arrange a layer of eggplant or zucchini in the bottom of the pan, laying the pieces side by side closely, as though
they were lasagna noodles. Next, add a layer of the ricotta, and sprinkle on basil. Next, add a layer of the cooked meats, mushrooms, a layer of sauce, a layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat until everything is gone. Make the top layer cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, uncover and bake until brown, about 10 minutes.