More Delicious Eggplant Recipes

I had eggplant lasagna made with lasagna noodles for dinner on Tuesday. It was great, but if you're craving potatoes instead of noodles try this one. . This sounds like a complicated recipe, but it's not. It's just layering garlic mashed potatoes, baked eggplant slices, marinara sauce and cheese. You could add mushrooms and roasted red peppers if you want. I personally always want to add mushrooms whenever possible.

Eggplant-Potato- "Lasagna"

1 large eggplant -- (1 ½ lbs.) OR 2 medium eggplants -- (3/4 lb. each), sliced into ½-inch rounds
2 pounds russet potatoes (about 7 medium potatoes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
2 large green bell peppers—seeded cored and diced
Reserved potato water as needed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups homemade or bottled marinara sauce
16 ounces lasagna noodles
3 cups mozzarella cheese,—grated
Nonfat cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line large baking pan with waxed paper. Place one layer of eggplant rounds on waxed paper. Top with second sheet of waxed paper. Repeat with eggplant rounds and waxed paper. Cover last layer with waxed paper. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil. Crimp to seal. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool for 10 minutes.

While eggplant is baking, peel potatoes, cut into eighths, and place in saucepan with garlic in lightly salted water just to cover. On high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Drain in colander over bowl to save cooking water.
While potatoes are cooking, sauté bell peppers in lightly sprayed nonstick skillet, until soft and lightly brown. Cover; set aside.

Place potatoes and garlic in mixing bowl; mash well. With rotary beater, beat while adding ½ to ¾ cup reserved potato water until desired consistency is reached. While still beating, add salt, and pepper. Cover; keep warm.

Lightly spray 9-by 14- by 2-inch baking dish. Cover bottom lightly with sauce, tilting dish to spread sauce. Spread four lasagna noodles with 1 cup mashed potato-garlic mixture; lay side by side length-wise, ends even, in center of baking pan. Top with 1 layer of eggplant. Top eggplant with one-fourth of the sauce. Top sauce with one-fourth of the cheese.
Make second layer, adding green bell pepper after eggplant, then sauce and cheese. Make third layer of potato, eggplant, sauce and cheese. Top with noodles. Spread noodles with remaining cup of mashed potato-garlic mixture. Spread remaining sauce completely to edge of noodles. Top with remaining cheese. Lightly spray 16-inch length of aluminum foil with nonfat cooking spray. Attach foil, sprayed side down, to ends of pan, tenting foil above lasagna surface. Crimp foil around all edges of pan to seal.

Bake covered for 45 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and discard. Baste top of lasagna with sauce from both ends. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove from oven. Let rest 15 minutes. Slice into 10 equal pieces using sharp serrated knife and cutting twice to ensure easy-to-serve pieces. Makes 10 servings.

Chunky Eggplant Chickpea Curry

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 medium eggplant
1 small onion, thickly sliced
3 or 4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 can chopped tomatoes, with juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Poke a few holes in the eggplant with a fork and bake in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes. Process garbanzo beans in a food processor until smooth. Peel eggplant and chop into 1 inch cubes. Spray a frying pan with nonstick spray. Saute onion and garlic until browned. Add eggplant, peas and tomatoes and stir (if you skipped baking the eggplant beforehand, cover and simmer until eggplant softens, add water if necessary). Add processed garbanzo beans and spices, stir until all ingredients are blended together and simmer until heated.

Serve over brown rice with chutney and some chopped peanuts.

Eggplant, Eggplant, Eggplant

Yesterday was my birthday. My friends made a scrap book for me with funny drawings and quips that describe me. One of them wrote. "If you are what you eat, YOU are an eggplant." It's true. I am inordinately fond of eggplant. What did I have for my birthday dinner? Eggplant Parmesan, of course. Here's a recipe from Alton Brown of the Food Network. Why bother with pasta when you can just eat lots of eggplant?

Eggplant Pasta Recipe

2 medium-large eggplants
Kosher salt, for purging
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
4 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup cream
4 tablespoons basil chiffonade
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Freshly ground pepper

Peel each eggplant leaving 1-inch of skin at the top and bottom unpeeled. Slice the eggplant thinly lengthwise, about 1/4-inch thick. Evenly coat each slice with the salt and purge on a sheet pan fitted with a rack for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water and roll in paper towels to dry. Slice the pieces into thin strips to resemble pasta.
In a large saute pan heat the oil. Add the garlic and chili flakes and toast. Add the eggplant "pasta" and toss to coat. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cream and increase heat to thicken sauce. Finally add the basil and Parmesan and toss to combine. Season with pepper, no salt needed as the eggplant will have residual salt from the purge. Serve immediately.

Citrotini
I had a wonderful cocktail that featured Caravella Limoncello, the Italian lemon liqueur. Combine equal parts of Limoncello, Triple Sec and sweet and sour mixer. Shake with ice and serve in a martini glass. It was fabulous.

Here are two other cocktails that feature Limoncello.

Caravella Limontini
- 1 ounce vanilla vodka
- 1/2 ounce Caravella Limoncello
- 1 1/2 ounce pomegranate juice
- Squeeze of lime

Place all ingredients into a martini shaker along with several cubes of ice. Shake vigorously, strain into a martini glass and serve immediately. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Caravella Limoncello's recipe, dating back to 1898, was developed by Paolo Sperone. Sperone, the family's Milan-based company founded in 1911, is the world's fourth-largest producer of Italian apertifs. I have a friend who is in love with Italy. She visits at least once a year. She has taught us all to love limoncello. It's very refreshing on a hot summer day.

LIMONTINI

* 2 parts Absolut Citron or Ketel One Citron vodka
* 1 part Limoncello
* Juice of 1/2 lemon
* Lemon twist

Shake first 3 ingredients over ice in cocktail shaker; wipe rim of cocktail glass with lemon twist; strain contents of cocktail shaker into cocktail glass; garnish with lemon twist.

Makes 1 cocktail.