Eggplant Bread Casserole

A casserole is my idea of "good returns". Somehow baking anything in layers of starches and sauces in a large casserole dish until the individual ingredients become one massive slab of goodness is very satisfying. And the best part is that it's an excellent way of emptying out the vegetable drawer in your refrigerator.

I never seem to have room in my refrigerator. There is no reason why a refrigerator that feeds one person should be so full to the brim that I have to rough it up in order to get the door to shut.

I suppose this was something of a lasagna, sans the lasagna, replaced with sourdough bread. Oh, and it's vegan, but if you have no need for vegan constraints I suggest the addition of ricotta cheese layers and and a top layer of grated parmesan reggiano.

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes (I used a variety of very wonderful heirloom tomatoes, which I think makes a difference)

2 large onions, sliced into strands

2 cups mushrooms (I used a combination of both brown and white)

3 large eggplants, sliced into 1/2 inch discs

1 loaf slice sourdough bread, toasted very well

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 1/4 cup Marinara sauce

1. in a large saute pan add 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance (just butter if not vegan) with a pinch of sugar

2. when the Earth Balance has been melted add the onions on low heat and caramelize, stirring often. This will take a good 15 minutes. Make sure the heat is on low to avoid burning

3. preheat oven to 400

4. lay the eggplant discs on a lined cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and then salt liberally

5. bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or under very tender and slightly browned

6. meanwhile, saute the sliced mushrooms in olive oil under tender

7. in a large casserole dish make a layer of the toasted sourdough, trying not to leave any open space

8. put a layer of the baked eggplant discs on top of the bread

9. spread a layer of marinara sauce over the eggplant

10. sprinkle 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs

11. layer with mushrooms

12. layer with caramelized onions

13. start the layers over again until the casserole dish is full

14. when the casserole dish is filled, top with sliced tomatoes and then salt and pepper

15. bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes

7.

Duck Egg over Chanterelles and Peas (plus other things)

I went to the Santa Monica Farmers Market the other day, which was my first time actually. I saw Mark Peel there discussing apples. He looked super official in his chef's jacket.
Things that are in season and wonderful and purchased by me:
1. figs (I need to stop with the figs. I'm more fig than girl at this point)
2. bermuda onions (very sweet, tastes vaguely like cipollini)
3. thyme
4. orange and red tomatoes

I also bought some chanterelles, which I haven't seen at farmers markets this summer. I'm not sure when chanterelles are in season but they were pretty pricey. At $12 per pound I could only afford a handful. I couldn't resist though. I have a deep love of mushrooms and chanterelles are up there on my list.

I also found a duck egg. It was the last one. I felt almost obligated to buy it. Just as an object (not as a food item) an egg is so pleasing to look at. If I could assign a personality to eggs, I'd say that they seem enormously calm. That's probably stupid. I should stop romanticizing everything I eat.

For dinner I used my purchases to make a really gorgeous dinner, for one, pathetically. Is it still pathetic if I preferred it that way? I sauteed bermuda onions with the chanterelles with some thyme and peas and topped it with a fried duck egg and then I drizzled the whole thing with the white truffle oil I got with my gift certificate to Williams and Sonoma.
Also, a side salad of tomatoes in a meyer lemon balsamic vinaigarette.
Oh! also I enjoyed figs with a port and honey goat cheese! Saeyoung, I'm bringing your some of that goat cheese. It's ridiculously good.

Ingredients:
1/2 a bermuda onion
3/4 cup chanterelle mushrooms
1/4 cup peas (frozen or fresh)
3 sprigs of thyme
2 tablespoons of butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 duck egg

1. melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat
2. sweat the onions. try and not move them too much so that they will caramelize but make sure that they don't burn and go bitter
3. when the onions are cooked down and translucent add the chanterelles and thyme
4. when the onions and chanterelles are browned add the peas and cook for about one minute or until the peas are just tender
5. salt and pepper to taste
6. take the mixture out of the pan and plate
7. in the same pan with the browned butter, crack the egg and fry until the white part is opaque. You want the yolk to be runny (you may have to add more butter or oil to the pan before adding the egg)
8. top the chanterelle mixture with the egg and drizzle with white truffle oil or just extra virgin olive oil will do just fine

...other variations:

this would also be good with pancetta or some sort of salty cured meat

Pepin

vegetarian paella

paella valenciana

cured salmon with capers

eggplant, goat cheese salad

beef and tomato empanadas

crab and arroz negro croquetas

mushrooms with escargot

sherry mushrooms

sangria

On our last night in Scottsdale we went to Pepin Spanish restaurant for some tapas and paella.  

The restaurant was a bit on the campy side with a flamenco dancer but otherwise the food was quite good.  I was especially impressed by their vegetarian paella, which I'm not sure that I've ever encountered before.  Meat and/or seafood always seem to pretty integral to paella.  The paella was a bit buttery for my taste.  It was sort of swimming in broth which gave it an almost stew-like quality.  I like mine a little crisped at the edges and I like to taste more saffron than butter. 

Not pictured but also delicious were the sweetbreads in a wine sauce.  On the sweet side but the sweetbreads were very tender.  

Pepin

7363 E Scottsdale Mall

Scottsdale, AZ 85251-4414

480.990.9026