Home | Music, Events & More | Vendors | By Laws | Registration Forms | Contact Us
Eggplant Recipes of the Week - August 11, 2010 | |
|
Purchasing Eggplant: Smaller, immature eggplants are best. Full-size puffy ones may have hard seeds and can be bitter. Choose a firm, smooth-skinned eggplant that is heavy for its size; avoid those with soft or brown spots. Gently push with your thumb or forefinger. If the flesh gives slightly but then bounces back, it is ripe. If the indentation remains, it is overripe and the insides will be mushy. If there is no give, the eggplant was picked too early. Also make sure an eggplant isn't dry inside, knock on it with your knuckles. If you hear a hollow sound, don't buy it. NOTE: Whether or not there is an appreciable difference, I don't know. Storing Eggplant: Eggplants are very perishable and become bitter with age. They should be stored in a cool, dry place and used within a day or two of purchase. To store in the refrigerator, place in a plastic bag. If you plan to cook it the same day you buy it, leave it out at room temperature. Preparing Eggplant: When young, the skin of most eggplants are edible; older eggplants should be peeled. since the flesh discolors rapidly, an eggplant should be cut just before using. There are many varieties which range from dark purple to pale mauve, and from yellow to white. The longer purple variety is the most commonly eaten. It is one of the more popular vegetables in the world, and it is a staple of Italian cooking throughout Italy. For hundreds of years, it was grown only in Sicily and southern Italy. Equivalents: 1 medium eggplant = about 1 1/2 pounds 1 pound = 4 cups, diced 1 pound fresh = 1-3/4 cups, cooked and cubed Synonyms: aubergine = berenjena = brinjal = garden egg = egg apple = patlican = melongene = melanzane = Guinea squash Roasted Vegetable Baked ZitiSAUCE: 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 2 cups vegetable stock 1 medium onion, poked with a fork 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper VEGETABLES: 2 pounds plum tomatoes, seeded, quartered 2 medium Italian eggplant, quartered, sliced 2 large red bell peppers, seeded, quartered 1 large Spanish onion, halved, cut into eighths 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1/4 cup calamata olives, pitted, sliced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound ziti pasta, cooked al dente, drained 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced thin 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Directions: Preheat broiler. Make sauce: In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook, whisking about 2 minutes. Stir in vegetable stock, a little bit at a time. Add onion and Parmesan cook until the thickness you would like. Remove onion. Set aside. In a roasting pan arrange tomatoes, eggplant, red peppers, onion and toss with garlic, olives and oil. Place pan in the oven on the top shelf for 30 minutes or until vegetables are beginning to brown. Remove from oven to a cutting board and roughly chop all the vegetables. Transfer them to a bowl. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Ladle about 1/3 of sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch pan. Layer 1/2 of vegetables, 1/2 cooked pasta, 1/2 of mozzarella, 1/2 pasta, 1/3 sauce, 1/2 mozzarella, 1/2 vegetables, 1/3 sauce, Parmesan. Bake, covered with foil, for approximately 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes more or until bubbly. Charcoaled Grilled Eggplant and Tomato1/2 - 2/3 c. chopped fresh basil leaves4-5 tbsp. olive oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 lg. eggplant, about 1 1/2 lb. 4 sm. Fresh ripe tomatoes - 1 lb. Fresh basil sprigs, optional Foil for wrapping Note: You can substitute zucchini for the eggplant using large zucchini and making about 4 or 5 slices. Directions: In small bowl, mix basil, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Cut each eggplant into about 10 thin lengthwise slices, starting at bottom and leaving top intact. Place each eggplant on doubled 14 x 12 inch sheet of foil. Brush slices on both sides with basil-oil mixture. Separate eggplant slices to make a fan inserting 2 or 3 slices of tomato between each. Cover each eggplant with second double sheet of foil, crimp top and bottom edges to seal tightly. When coals are ready, place foil packets on grill, cook with grill covered about 30 minutes until eggplant is tender. To serve: Remove tops of packets carefully. Drizzle eggplant with additional oil and chopped basil, as desired, and garnish with fresh basil sprigs. Eggplant ParmesanRoasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce:3 tablespoons olive oil 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 3 roasted red peppers, peeled, seeded and chopped 2 (28-ounce) cans plum tomatoes and their juices, crushed with your hands 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 3 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley 3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper Honey, to taste Eggplant: 5 cups fresh dried breadcrumbs (made from dried day-old bread) Butter, for greasing the dish 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano leaves 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 large eggs, beaten 2 tablespoons water 2 to 3 medium eggplants (about 2 1/4-pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices (need about 18 slices) All-purpose flour, for dredging Vegetable oil, for frying Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce 12 ounces grated mozzarella (not fresh), plus1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced 12 ounces grated fontina 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano Fresh basil leaves, torn Directions: For the Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the red peppers and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth. Return the mixture back to the pot, add the parsley, basil and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes longer and season with honey, if needed. For the Eggplant: To dry out the bread crumbs-Preheat the oven to 300 degree F. Evenly spread the breadcrumbs on a large baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes, turn the oven off and let the bread crumbs sit in the oven for 30 minutes or until just dry. Raise the temperature of the oven up to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 15 by 10 by 2-inch baking dish and set aside. Place the breadcrumbs into a large shallow bowl. Add the herbs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. In another medium shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and 2 tablespoons of water together. Season each eggplant slice on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, tapping off excess, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. Heat 1/2-inch of oil in 2 large straight-sided sauté pans over medium heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 385 degrees F. Working in small batches, fry a few of the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. Cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish with some of the tomato sauce and arrange 1/2 of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with some of the sauce, grated mozzarella, fontina, Romano cheese and some of the basil. Repeat to make 3 layers ending with the sauce. Top with the fresh mozzarella and remaining Romano and bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Myron's Crockpot RatatouilleIngredients:1 Jar spaghetti sauce 1 Eggplant, chopped (peeled or unpeeled) 2 Tomatoes, chopped coarse 2 small Zucchini, sliced 1 Green bell pepper in 1" pieces 1 large Onion, chopped 3 Cloves garlic minced 1 teaspoon basil leaves 1 teaspoon oregano (red pepper flakes, to taste) Preparation: In large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Pour into slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW for 8 - 10 hours. Good hot or cold. I sometimes make bruschetta, by toasting Italian or French bread slices in the broiler with a large dollop of ratatouille on them until bubbly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if you like. A quick "gourmet" lunch for your guests! Also good in tortillas, crepes or omelets! Serves 4 to 6 |
|
The West Milford Farmers' Market is brought to you by Sustainable West Milford, a 501(c)3non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainability in West Milford and it's surrounding towns.
For Email Marketing you can trust
Site Developed and Hosted by Hazelman Farms