E is for Eggplant
I'm not very fond of vegetables.
In fact, my repertoire of ACCEPTABLE vegetables is so limited that when I discussed my ambition to expand it with a friend some years ago, she gifted me with a cookbook, "Fresh from France - Vegetable Creations for Every Course and Every Occasion" by Faye Levy to assist me in discovering recipes that might be appealing. I've not delved into it very deeply until recently, when I decided to do a post featuring eggplant, as part of my culinary ABC exploration.
Baked Pasta with Eggplant - serves 4
1 pound eggplant
6 tbsp vegetable oil
Bechamel sauce
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
1 small onion minced
2 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups (200 gm) elbow macaroni (any other small pasta shape is acceptable ie. mini shell pasta)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese (I used Kefalotyri cheese, a Greek cheese sometimes used in saganaki.)
Marinara or other tomato sauce
Preheat oven to 375 deg Fahrenheit. Generously butter or spray with a cooking spray, a 5 to 6 cup souffle dish or large baking dish.
Peel eggplant and cut into approximately 1/2 inch cubes. In a medium sized skillet, heat 3 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat, add half of the eggplant cubes, sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp of salt, and saute about 7 minutes or until they're tender. As oil is absorbed quickly by the eggplant, reduced the heat and stir constantly so that the eggplant doesn't burn. Repeat with remaining vegetable oil and eggplant cubes and reserve until needed.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, rinse thoroughly with cold water and drain well again. Reserve until needed.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the onion and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft but not browned. Sprinkle the flour over the butter-onion mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly whisk in the milk. Return the saucepan to the heat, raise the temperature to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add a small pinch of salt, the white pepper and grated nutmeg, reduce the heat to medium-low and continuing cooking for a further 4 or 5 minutes while continuing to whisk. Transfer to a medium sized bowl and allow to cool while grating cheese and assembling the rest of the components.
In a small bowl, beat the 2 eggs together.
In a large bowl, add the eggplant, drained pasta and cooled bechamel sauce. Fold together. Taste the mixture and add adjust salt if needed. Add the cheese and beaten egg and stir in gently. Transfer into the buttered souffle dish and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the mixture sets.
Serve hot with home made marinara or other tomato sauce.
One of my difficulties with vegetables is that I have texture issues so the spongy, soft texture of eggplant would not normally be very appealing to me. It is also quite bland. However, when it was combined with the already soft and creamy baked pasta and dressed with a tomato sauce with its acid tang, I was able to eat, and more importantly, ENJOY, the eggplant.
In fact, my repertoire of ACCEPTABLE vegetables is so limited that when I discussed my ambition to expand it with a friend some years ago, she gifted me with a cookbook, "Fresh from France - Vegetable Creations for Every Course and Every Occasion" by Faye Levy to assist me in discovering recipes that might be appealing. I've not delved into it very deeply until recently, when I decided to do a post featuring eggplant, as part of my culinary ABC exploration.
Baked Pasta with Eggplant - serves 4
1 pound eggplant
6 tbsp vegetable oil
Bechamel sauce
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
1 small onion minced
2 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups (200 gm) elbow macaroni (any other small pasta shape is acceptable ie. mini shell pasta)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese (I used Kefalotyri cheese, a Greek cheese sometimes used in saganaki.)
Marinara or other tomato sauce
Preheat oven to 375 deg Fahrenheit. Generously butter or spray with a cooking spray, a 5 to 6 cup souffle dish or large baking dish.
Peel eggplant and cut into approximately 1/2 inch cubes. In a medium sized skillet, heat 3 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat, add half of the eggplant cubes, sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp of salt, and saute about 7 minutes or until they're tender. As oil is absorbed quickly by the eggplant, reduced the heat and stir constantly so that the eggplant doesn't burn. Repeat with remaining vegetable oil and eggplant cubes and reserve until needed.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, rinse thoroughly with cold water and drain well again. Reserve until needed.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the onion and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft but not browned. Sprinkle the flour over the butter-onion mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly whisk in the milk. Return the saucepan to the heat, raise the temperature to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add a small pinch of salt, the white pepper and grated nutmeg, reduce the heat to medium-low and continuing cooking for a further 4 or 5 minutes while continuing to whisk. Transfer to a medium sized bowl and allow to cool while grating cheese and assembling the rest of the components.
In a small bowl, beat the 2 eggs together.
In a large bowl, add the eggplant, drained pasta and cooled bechamel sauce. Fold together. Taste the mixture and add adjust salt if needed. Add the cheese and beaten egg and stir in gently. Transfer into the buttered souffle dish and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the mixture sets.
Serve hot with home made marinara or other tomato sauce.
One of my difficulties with vegetables is that I have texture issues so the spongy, soft texture of eggplant would not normally be very appealing to me. It is also quite bland. However, when it was combined with the already soft and creamy baked pasta and dressed with a tomato sauce with its acid tang, I was able to eat, and more importantly, ENJOY, the eggplant.