Eggplant

anybody have any good eggplant recipes? I bought one and sliced it up. I cooked some on my GFG, and now I want to try something different.


Any suggestions?

Eggplant parm? I also have used it in Vegie Stir frys - gotta cut it kinda small, takes a while to cook (longer than other veggies). Also, you can bread and fry them and dip them in sauce like a marinara or something.

I go to cookinglight.com - they have all sorts of great recipies - you can do a search on anything!

basically it is a meat (veggie alternative) bolognaise sauce. You will need to make a white sauce. get a large oven proof dish that is deep. put a thin (not to thin not to thick) layer of meat then slice the eggplant and layer it ontop of the meat. Add white sauce then add more meat etc and layer until you get to nearly the top of the dish (don't over load it) then the final white sauce should be thincker than the layers and add grated cheese. I should be then cooked in a moderate oven for about 1 hour. Best served with a full bodied red wine, garlic bread and a huge salad

how do I make a white sauce? and what kind of meat is best to use?

White sauce - you need equal amount of butter and flour...
for example 25g butter 25g flour (white flour)
melt the butter on the stove and then add the flour and mix them together until you have a biscuit texture. cook on a slow heat for about 5 mins stirring so it does not burn
Boil the milk in a different pan.
when the milk is boiled you need to take the flour and butter off the heat and add the milk in stages...this stage needs loads of elbow grease. you need to stir really roughly until the milk is combined and there are no lumps, keep adding the milk and stirring, then when the white sauce is thick (coats the back of a wooden spoon) it is ready. put it back on the stove and cook it for about 10 minutes on a low heat so it has not got a flour taste.

Easy!

Alternatively I am sure that a packet of white sauce can be brought from the store although homemade is better

the best meat to use is ground beef - add some red wine into it and preferably make the meat sauce the night before as it matures in flavour!

That has that cooking show - what a little hottie - I wish I knew a guy that liked to cook and had a sense of humor and was cute.... Oh, that's right, their all married :tounge2:

The chef in england with his own tv show is called Jamie Oliver

Originally posted by jakenjinx
That has that cooking show - what a little hottie - I wish I knew a guy that liked to cook and had a sense of humor and was cute.... Oh, that's right, their all married

:tounge2:

Click to expand...

HAHA You'll find one Janet! Your prince charming will one day come along without notice and sweep you off your feet It's always when you least expect it. Oh, we were talking about eggplants here...oooops! hahaha!

Happy cooking!

Hugs,
Catarina

I'm making eggplant parmesan tomorrow night! Can't do it tonight because I have dinner with a client. Almost wish I didn't, so I could try it tonight!

is cut it THIN!!!!! Make sure, or it will be kinda tough! YUK

LET US KNOW HOW IT IS (too bad you couldn't squish it thru the computer so we could all have some!):tounge2:

how thin? like half an inch? or thinner than that? (is it showing that I'm not much of a cook?!?!)

I would say like 1/4" or so, maybe a little bit thicker. You are going to bread and fry them, right? Put some parm cheese in w/the bread crumbs and what I do when I bread is egg, flour, egg, bread crumbs - it's messy, but it keeps the eggplant nice and juicy, as well as together when you make the parm and bake it! You just want to brown the eggplant after you bread them. Don't cook them thru! Drain them on paper towels and then you just kinda layer it like lasagne and put a little sauce (or alot if you wish) and sprinkle some nice mozzarella, parm and romano, bake probably for about 1/2 hr, 45 mins about 375 and
check w/fork to make sure it's tender and then....
CHOW DOWN.
A nice salad and Pino Gricio (sp?) would go nicely! (My original maiden name was DiBiase - can ya tell?):tounge2:

I was actually going to bake the eggplant after I breaded it instead of frying it. Is that a bad idea?


Man, your way sounds so much better!

Just because it would be quicker and it won't dry the eggplant out. It will cut your cooking time down, and frying always gives more flavor (and calories, but hey, who's counting). Just use a good olive oil. Also, I would use a good canned tomato sauce and not a pasta sauce from a jar because they can be bitter (just my opinion - I make my own pasta sauce - hate that pre-made stuff!). Just spice the canned tomato sauce up w/oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper, and other italian spices (not too much!). You will find it much tastier! :tounge2:

Okay, now I'm gonna have to get parm for lunch....:tounge2:

Now I REALLY can't wait to make this! The SO is going to think he died and went to heaven! I'm slowly learning to make cook dishes. I really love to cook, and the SO loves to eat! So it's a perfect match! :laughing:

and let us know how it comes out! yyyyuuuummmmyyyy!!!!:tounge2: :tounge2:

GARLIC! use Garlic salt or Powder when you spice the sauce up (just a little, now or no kissing!.... )

I like to add a little garlic powder (not garlic salt, enough sodium in it already) and oregano. Sometimes I saute some appropriate veggies (onions, green peppers, mushrooms, like that) and add them too. Nice primavera type sauce without the milk of most white sauces. A little wine is a good addition too, the heat cooks off the alcohol.

Anyway, what about ratatouille? Cut the eggplant into circles, might have to cut some of those in half if they are big. Saute one medium onion in olive oil in a saucepan with a clove or two of garlic (or a tbl ready-chopped garlic, or powder to taste). When the onion is clear but before it browns (carmelizes), add 2 chopped tomatoes (or 2 16 oz cans of tomato, chopped or chop it yourself) and the eggplant. You might need to adjust this for the amount of eggplant, I like almost the same amount of tomato including the juice as eggplant. Add whatever savory spices appeal to you, but be careful of salt as that can make the eggplant tough. You might need a sprinkle of sugar if you use fresh tomatoes as some of them are tart or acidic, but you don't want a sweet taste. Let it simmer until it is thick and stewed looking. I eat it over rice, or you could use couscous or another grain like that. You could add some nice lemon pepper chicken or just grilled skinless boneless. Ooo, and a good crusty bread, maybe garlic bread, maybe focaccia . . .

That just got printed out and put in my purse:tounge2:

Originally posted by Amanda
The chef in england with his own tv show is called Jamie Oliver

Click to expand...

His parents own a pub a few miles from where I live and he sometimes cooks for their customers - very tasty! (both the food and Jamie Oliver!!)