Rosalynn Carter's Baked Eggplant

WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS RECIPE on Melynda's blog, Our Sunday Cafe, I knew I would make it. The first reason is that I love eggplant and they are in season. Secondly, I am a fan of former president Jimmy Carter and his beautiful wife, Rosalynn. Like most Southerners, the Carters love vegetables, but the eggplant is undoubtedly Jimmy Carter's favorite vegetable.

When we recently heard that President Carter had been diagnosed with cancer, I felt a bond with him on a completely different level. Besides his peace keeping missions, his food preferences, his dignity and courage, his charming  Southerness, when given a diagnosis of cancer, you inadvertently become a member of a club to which you had no desire to be a member. I have been a member of the club for about 3 years. To not leave anyone in mystery, here is a brief post I made about it back then.

Because this is a food blog, not a health blog, I give you the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Rosalynn Carter's Baked Eggplant
1 large eggplant
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cup grated Swiss cheese

Slice eggplant about 1/2-inch thick. Place on a rimmed baking pan, rub with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until lightly browned and fork tender.

Meanwhile heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet; add onion and cook until golden. Add garlic and tomatoes, cooking until beginning to thicken. Stir in seasonings and bread crumbs.

Spread the tomato mixture over the broiled eggplant then cover with grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes.

My Family's Favorite Eggplant Parmesan

 OF ALL THE HUNDREDS THOUSANDS OF MEALS AND DISHES I have cooked, my Eggplant Parmesan is the standout favorite and most cherished of all my family and friends. Everyone who has ever eaten it loves it. Even the pickiest of picky-eaters like it.

Almost any time I see Eggplant Parmesan on a restaurant menu, I order it. I have enjoyed many good versions and some not too great. But never one as tasty as this recipe.

I must confess, this is not my favorite thing to cook. It is not difficult but it involves many steps and it is messy. It involves two different cheeses, one of which needs to be sliced and the other grated. Three bowls are used for preparing the eggplant for frying--flour, then egg, then crumbs. And yes, frying, the messiest of messy for the home cook. Fresh garlic is minced and a sauce is made. It is a true labor of love.

This is not an everyday meal at our house. I make this for special occasions. Special occasions are times when family gather, whether for birthdays, holidays, weddings, family reunions, even funerals.

The recipe comes from one of my old hippie cookbooks, The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas, c.1972. I love the author's philosophical introduction to the book and have read it many times over the years; almost every time I take out the book.

I always chuckle when I read, "The two-hours-later course is especially recommended if grass is smoked socially at your house. If you have passed a joint around before dinner to sharpen gustatory perceptions, you most likely will pass another one after dinner, and everyone knows what that will do--the blind munchies can strike at any time".

Use the best quality ingredients including the olive oil which lends so much flavor to the dish. Over the years, I have used dried and fresh breadcrumbs, wheat germ, and panko, all with good results. I have used both Swiss and Mozzarella cheese and prefer the latter. For the wine, I have used several good, dry reds, but my personal favorite for this dish is Burgundy.

The recipe is easily doubled and tripled to feed a crowd. And while you're at it, why not?

Eggplant Parmesan
1 medium eggplant
1 egg beaten with some milk
Breadcrumbs or wheat germ
Olive oil
1/2 pound Swiss or Mozzarella, sliced
6 oz. tomato paste
Red wine as needed
Pinch of oregano
Clove of garlic
Salt and pepper
1 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese

Wash your eggplant and, without peeling it, slice it about 1/2-inch thick. Dip slices first in flour, then into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs. Saute them in a little olive oil, a few at a time, until they are nicely browned on both sides. Tend them carefully and add oil as it is needed.

When they are crisp and brown, arrange them in a baking dish and put a slice or two of Swiss or Mozzarella on each one. Make a thick tomato sauce by diluting the tomato paste with wine. Mix the tomato sauce with the oregano, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic clove. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons on each slice. Finally, sprinkle the grated Parmesan on top of it all. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes and serve steaming hot.

Roasted Thai Eggplant

I HAVE SPOKEN SEVERAL TIMES about my husband's love of shopping so I thought it only fair to talk about mine. My Retail Therapy comes from shopping for food. Besides my regular grocery store, I look at and shop for food in Mexican Tiendas, an Oriental Market, 5 different independently owned, local Natural Food Stores. I discovered a little grocery area connected to a gas station that carries Middle Eastern and Indian foods. We have a wonderful State Farmers Market in Asheville, North Carolina and many smaller tailgate markets have sprung up all over town. We have 3 different supermarket chains based right here out of North Carolina and one from our neighbors in South Carolina. We have 2 (that I know of) local, independent meat markets. We have a few of what I call Boutique stores, spice shops, bakeries. So many choices.

With all those food stores thriving in our area, the big guys have decided to move in. Whole Foods is building a huge store and so is Publix. A Trader Woe's just opened and I do not "get" that one. Six different locally owned small businesses, were put out of business and razed to make room for a national corporate chain. Here in the era of emphasis on local food and environmental awareness, we have a store based out of California, the furthest state from us--a store where everything is packaged. Every produce item is wrapped. And for a store that built its reputation on "natural foods", they are anything but. I read labels. They don't and won't reveal the sources of their private label items. From the outside, the store looks huge--a hulking thing in the small mixed use neighborhood, but I was shocked when I got inside to find how small it is.  All facade. But they have cool clip art and aloha shirts. And an almost cult-like following.

Yesterday, I was in one of our local supermarkets and spotted these cute little eggplants about the size of ping-pong balls.  I just had to try them. They were labeled Thai eggplant, but they were locally (greenhouse) grown.

When I cut them open, I was surprised by how many dark seeds they had. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't that. So I rinsed them, salted  liberally with Celtic sea salt,  let them set for 30 minutes, and then rinsed thoroughly.

In a large mixing bowl, I combined about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, 1 garlic clove, minced, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Then I tossed the eggplant with the mixture and spread them onto a rimmed sheet pan.

Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, turning half way through the cooking time.

I was originally planning to make a curry sauce for these and serve over brown rice. But they were so delicious just like this, we ate them as a side dish. These eggplants were so flavorful, they didn't even need a dipping sauce.

A Trip to the Farmers Market

Pritchard Parker and I went to the Farmers Market but first we stopped to eat breakfast at The Moose Cafe which is located at the market.

The Moose Cafe is not an elegant restaurant nor does it serve dainty portions of "chef inspired" creations. The Moose serves hearty portions of the freshest, made from scratch, home style Southern cooking. Go there hungry. Go very hungry. 

At your table, you will be greeted with a plate of delicious "cat's head" biscuits and apple butter.

Delicious Biscuit with Apple Butter

We both ordered "The Biltmore" (Big House; Big Breakfast). While I have eaten at The Moose Cafe a number of times before, I had never ordered their Moose Cake. We ordered them with blueberries and my eyes about popped out when I saw the size of that pancake. It was the size of a plate. And not a small plate; a dinner plate. That cake was 8 or 9 inches across!

 

 

On another plate were the eggs, bacon, grits, and another huge biscuit. We both had 2 (two) platefuls of food set before us. This breakfast also included a bowl of gravy which neither of us touched. Couldn't. I have to say we did this meal justice. We took our second biscuits home and enjoyed them with dinner.

 

It was a good thing we were about to do a lot of walking!

 

 

Vidalia onions, New Potatoes, Pickling Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Colorful Bell Peppers

Yellow Zucchini

Half Runner Green Beans

Eggplant

I also bought strawberries, blueberries, and peaches. I can't wait to get cooking.

 

 

One of the vendors promised to call me in about 2 weeks--she is expecting an excellent crop of  elusive figs this summer. !!

 

  

Grilled Ratatouille

Three weeks ago, a tractor-trailer truck with a load of locally grown tomatoes, over-turned on one of our narrow, steep and winding rural roads.  Tomatoes were all over the place! Many, many boxes of the tomatoes were rescued but were deemed (by whatever authority) unsaleable, due to the accident. Many were donated to local food banks and soup kitchens. Lucky for me, I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and found myself the happy recipient of two 25 pound boxes of beautiful, large and plump Roma tomatoes.  No one wanted to see these tomatoes wasted.  (And no one was injured in the accident).

I canned one box of them for the winter. With the other, I have made all kinds of tomato-ey things--tomato sauce, tomato soup, pizza, salsa, grilled cheese with tomato sandwiches, two pans of oven dried tomatoes, and I still have a nice bowl full of them to finish off this weekend.

Another thing I made is Ratatouille, which is a delicious dish to make and eat in very late summer to early fall, when the fresh, local, tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, and squashes are still available. Ratatouille can be eaten cold with crackers and cheese when the weather is balmy. Or it can be treated as a hot and comforting stew for blustery autumn evenings, served with french bread and brie. 

There are many ways to make Ratatouille, and here is one.

Grilled Ratatouille
3 large onions, roughly chopped
3- 4 plump cloves garlic, chopped
2 bell peppers, any color, quartered, seeds removed
8 Japanese eggplant, split in half lengthwise
6 summer squash, split in half lengthwise
4 very large ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Olive Oil

In a large soup pot, cook onions, in olive oil, over medium low heat, until tender. Meanwhile, drizzle peppers, eggplant, and squash with olive oil, and salt and pepper them. Grill until tender. Chop the grilled vegetables to desired size and add to the pot with the onions. Add the garlic. Stir together, and simmer for a few minutes. Finally add the chopped tomatoes and the fresh rosemary. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Baba Ganouj

Baba Ganouj is a Middle Eastern dip or spread made from roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil.  It may not be the loveliest of dishes, but it sure is packed with flavor.  I dare you to take a bite without moaning. 

Eggplant is in season which translates into fresh, abundant, and affordable. I've already made several eggplant based meals and will be posting about them when I get the opportunity.  Eggplant is a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, copper and thiamin (vitamin B1). It is also a good source of vitamin B6, folate, magnesium and niacin. For an in-depth nutritional profile click here: Eggplant.

This is another recipe from one of my old hippie cookbooks, Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. Mollie says the recipe makes enough to fill six people who are dipping vegetables and bread into it, and calling it Dinner. I roasted the eggplant one evening and finished the recipe the next day.

Baba Ganouj
(Moosewood Cookbook)
2 medium eggplants
Juice from one good-sized lemon
1/2 cup tahini
3 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup finely minced scallions
lost of fresh black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the stem end of the eggplants, and prick them all over with a fork. Place them on an oven rack directly, and let them roast slowly until completely pooped (about 45 minutes). When they are sagging, wrinkled, crumpled and totally soft, you'll know they're ready.  Remove them gingerly from the oven, and wait until cool enough to handle. Scoop the insides out and mash well.  Combine with all other ingredients, except olive oil.  Chill the Gajouj completely, and drizzle the oil over the top just before serving.