Two of my favorite Eggplant recipes:
Caponata or Caponatina: It is a Sicilian antipasto; its bold flavors usually include eggplant, anchovy, olives, and capers. I like the simple vegetarian style. This is most often served as an appetizer but also makes the perfect quick and casual meal during the hot summer months.
Serve it with crusty bread, fresh vegetables, olives, and assorted regional cheeses. Try it "bruschetta style" on toast points or topped over hot pasta. It's delicious and unexpected, and a valuable time saver too. Once prepared, caponata or caponatina will stand up to two weeks in the refrigerator so it is ready-made to serve the unexpected company or gatherings. Caponatina can be served as a unique and creative side dish at any meal.
Ingredients:
4 medium eggplants (peeled and diced)
1 1/2 cups olive oil
4 onions, sliced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
4 stalks celery (diced)
12 green olives (pitted and diced)
12 large black olives - Not Purple -(pitted and diced)
1 Tablespoon pine nuts
1/2 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar(you can use less it depends on your taste)
salt and pepper to taste
To Begin:
Fry diced eggplant in 1 cup olive oil until nicely browned. Remove from skillet
Add remaining olive oil and onions, browning gently over medium heat.
Add tomato sauce and celery and cook until tender. Add water if necessary, careful to maintain the consistency of the sauce.
Add capers, olives, pine nuts, and fried eggplant.
Heat vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Allow to simmer approximately 20 minutes or until flavors and become less sharp and individually defined.
Cool to room temperature before serving and store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator.
The recipe may be doubled as the dish itself stands well and even improves over time. As presented, this recipe will serve 4 when served bruschetta style on toast points.
Need a ready-made variation:
Top slices of grilled or fried polenta with caponatina. Drizzle with a bit of good, full bodied olive oil, garnished with fresh springs of basil, parsley, and slices of fresh tomato. Serve as above, as an appetizer or casual, warm weather meal.
PARMIGIANA DI MELANZANE Eggplants Parmigiana
3 firm Eggplants
1/2 lb. Mozzarella, sliced
1 small Onion, finely sliced
Basil leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
6 tbs. Parmigiano
1/2 cup Olive oil
Flour
1/2 lb. ripe Tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
1 pinch of Sugar
Wash the eggplants. Remove the stems, and cut length-wise into slices not thicker than 1/4-in.
Place the slices on a large platter, slightly on an angle. Sprinkle them with salt, place a weight on top and let stand for about one hour.
In the meantime, brown the Onion and the Garlic in oil over a very low flame, and then add the Tomatoes and let simmer for about 1/2 hour, stirring frequently. When this is done, pass through a sieve and add a pinch of salt.
Cut the Mozzarella into very thin slices and let them dry on a cloth. Chop the basil and mix it with Parmigiano.
Wash the salt off the eggplant and dry them. Dredge in flour and fry in very hot oil. Turn them to brown and when both side are done, lift them out and drain on a paper towel.
Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF. Coat a deep baking dish with olive oil and put in a layer of Eggplant. Sprinkle with Parmigiano, pour on a layer of tomato sauce, and cover with slices of Mozzarella. Repeat this layering until all the ingredients have been used, and then cover with Tomato sauce, sprinkle with more grated Parmigiano and bake for about 30 mins.
This dish is very good hot or at room temperature and makes a good antipasto. Zucchine alla parmigiana can be made in the same way, substituting zucchini for eggplant.
Caponata or Caponatina: It is a Sicilian antipasto; its bold flavors usually include eggplant, anchovy, olives, and capers. I like the simple vegetarian style. This is most often served as an appetizer but also makes the perfect quick and casual meal during the hot summer months.
Serve it with crusty bread, fresh vegetables, olives, and assorted regional cheeses. Try it "bruschetta style" on toast points or topped over hot pasta. It's delicious and unexpected, and a valuable time saver too. Once prepared, caponata or caponatina will stand up to two weeks in the refrigerator so it is ready-made to serve the unexpected company or gatherings. Caponatina can be served as a unique and creative side dish at any meal.
Ingredients:
4 medium eggplants (peeled and diced)
1 1/2 cups olive oil
4 onions, sliced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
4 stalks celery (diced)
12 green olives (pitted and diced)
12 large black olives - Not Purple -(pitted and diced)
1 Tablespoon pine nuts
1/2 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar(you can use less it depends on your taste)
salt and pepper to taste
To Begin:
Fry diced eggplant in 1 cup olive oil until nicely browned. Remove from skillet
Add remaining olive oil and onions, browning gently over medium heat.
Add tomato sauce and celery and cook until tender. Add water if necessary, careful to maintain the consistency of the sauce.
Add capers, olives, pine nuts, and fried eggplant.
Heat vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Allow to simmer approximately 20 minutes or until flavors and become less sharp and individually defined.
Cool to room temperature before serving and store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator.
The recipe may be doubled as the dish itself stands well and even improves over time. As presented, this recipe will serve 4 when served bruschetta style on toast points.
Need a ready-made variation:
Top slices of grilled or fried polenta with caponatina. Drizzle with a bit of good, full bodied olive oil, garnished with fresh springs of basil, parsley, and slices of fresh tomato. Serve as above, as an appetizer or casual, warm weather meal.
PARMIGIANA DI MELANZANE Eggplants Parmigiana
3 firm Eggplants
1/2 lb. Mozzarella, sliced
1 small Onion, finely sliced
Basil leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
6 tbs. Parmigiano
1/2 cup Olive oil
Flour
1/2 lb. ripe Tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
1 pinch of Sugar
Wash the eggplants. Remove the stems, and cut length-wise into slices not thicker than 1/4-in.
Place the slices on a large platter, slightly on an angle. Sprinkle them with salt, place a weight on top and let stand for about one hour.
In the meantime, brown the Onion and the Garlic in oil over a very low flame, and then add the Tomatoes and let simmer for about 1/2 hour, stirring frequently. When this is done, pass through a sieve and add a pinch of salt.
Cut the Mozzarella into very thin slices and let them dry on a cloth. Chop the basil and mix it with Parmigiano.
Wash the salt off the eggplant and dry them. Dredge in flour and fry in very hot oil. Turn them to brown and when both side are done, lift them out and drain on a paper towel.
Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF. Coat a deep baking dish with olive oil and put in a layer of Eggplant. Sprinkle with Parmigiano, pour on a layer of tomato sauce, and cover with slices of Mozzarella. Repeat this layering until all the ingredients have been used, and then cover with Tomato sauce, sprinkle with more grated Parmigiano and bake for about 30 mins.
This dish is very good hot or at room temperature and makes a good antipasto. Zucchine alla parmigiana can be made in the same way, substituting zucchini for eggplant.
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