Braised Eggplant In Fresh Tomato Sauce Recipes

EASY GREEK-STYLE EGGPLANT RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place eggplant cubes in a colander over a large bowl or directly over your sink, and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for 20 minutes or so to allow eggplant to "sweat out" any bitterness. Rinse with water and pat dry.
• In a large braiser, heat 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions, peppers, and chopped carrot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, then add garlic, bay leaf, spices, and a dash of salt. Cook another minute, stirring until fragrant.
• Now add eggplant, chopped tomato, chickpeas, and reserved chickpea liquid. Stir to combine.
• Bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes or so. Stir often. Remove from stove top, cover and transfer to oven.
• Cook in oven for 45 minutes until eggplant is fully cooked through to very tender. (While eggplant is braising, be sure to check once or twice to see if more liquid is needed. If so, remove from oven briefly and stir in about 1/2 cup of water at a time.)
• When eggplant is ready, remove from oven and add a generous drizzle of Private Reserve EVOO, garnish with fresh herbs (parsley or mint). Serve hot or at room temperature with a side of Greek yogurt or even Tzatziki sauce and pita bread.

BRAISED EGGPLANT IN FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Slice eggplants in half lengthwise. Place them on a large colander and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and let them sit on the colander while you prepare the tomato sauce
• Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large deep skillet. Add garlic and basil and cook for 2 minutes
• Add diced tomatoes, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt and Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes and cook over high heat for 15 minutes
• In the meantime, in a separate large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add sliced eggplant and cook over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly
• Once the tomato sauce is ready, add cooked eggplant, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the eggplant is tender
• Serve warm over with rice, couscous or quinoa

EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut eggplant into 1/2-in.-thick slices. Sprinkle with salt. Place in a deep dish; cover and let stand for 30 minutes. , Rinse with cold water; drain and dry on paper towels. In a 2-qt. saucepan, heat oil over medium heat Add the tomatoes, garlic, basil and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. , Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm while preparing eggplant. In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 cup oil; brown eggplant, a quarter at a time, adding more oil as needed. Place on a serving platter one row at a time. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Serve warm.

BAKED EGGPLANT IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim the stem and bottom ends of each eggplant and, with a vegetable peeler, shave off ribbons of skin lengthwise, creating a zebra-striped pattern all around. Slice the eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Lightly salt the slices on both sides, using about a tablespoon in all, and layer them in the colander, set in a bowl or the sink. Invert a dinner plate over the piled slices, and weight it with cans or other heavy objects, to press out the vegetable liquid. Let the rounds drain for 30 minutes to an hour, then rinse them, and pat dry with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, and heat to 400°.
• Put the tomato sauce in a bowl, and stir in the olives, sliced peperoncini, capers, and basil. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Lay in half the eggplant slices in a single layer, overlapping a bit if necessary. Drop spoonfuls of tomato sauce, another 1/2 cup total, on top of the eggplant layer, and sprinkle over it half the grated cheese. Lay in the remaining eggplant rounds in an even layer, spoon and spread the remaining sauce over them, and scatter the rest of the cheese all over the top.
• Tent the baking dish with a sheet of heavy aluminum foil, arching it so it doesn't touch the crumb topping, and pressing it against the sides. Set the dish on the baking sheet, place in the oven, and bake for 45 minutes, until the juices are bubbling actively. Remove the foil, and continue baking for another 15 minutes or so, until the cheese topping is golden brown and the eggplant is caramelized on the edges yet tender and easily pierced with the tip of a knife.
• Let the eggplant rest for 20 minutes (to absorb the sauce). Cut portions with a knife, and lift them out with a wide spatula into warm shallow bowls.

SPAGHETTI WITH EGGPLANT AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan cook the onion and the garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil over the moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, add the tomatoes with the juice, and simmer the sauce, uncovered, breaking up the tomatoes and stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until it is thickened.
• While the sauce is simmering, cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch dice, divide it between 2-jelly-roll pans, and drizzle it with the remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Bake the eggplant on the upper and lower racks of a preheated 400°.F. oven for 10 minutes, stir it and switch the pan positions in the oven. Bake the eggplant for 10 minutes more, or until it is very tender and golden, and stir it into the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a kettle of boiling salted water boil the spaghetti until it is al dente and drain it well. Divide the spaghetti among dinner plates and spoon the sauce in the center of each serving.

BRAISED EGGPLANT WITH ONION AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Halve eggplants lengthwise and score flesh 1/2 inch deep in a crosshatch pattern to make 1-inch squares (do not cut through skin). Arrange eggplant halves, cut sides up, in a large roasting pan and season with salt.
• Cook onions in 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in tomatoes, parsley, basil, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons sugar, and salt.
• Divide topping among eggplant halves, mounding in centers. Stir together water, remaining 1/4 cup oil, and remaining tablespoon sugar until sugar is dissolved, then add to roasting pan. Cover pan tightly with foil and bake in middle of oven, basting eggplants every 15 minutes with cooking liquid, 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until eggplants are tender (they will collapse and flatten slightly) and cooking liquid is reduced and beginning to caramelize, about 40 minutes more. Serve hot or at room temperature, drizzled with pan juices.

EGGPLANT INVOLTINI WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Fresh Tomato Sauce: Heat oil in a medium straight-sided skillet over medium. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomato pieces with a wooden spoon, until tomatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Pass through the medium disk of a food mill. Sauce can be allowed to cool completely, then refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days. (Makes about 2 1/2 cups.)
• Involtini: Trim and cut eggplants length-wise into 1/4-to-1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a wire rack; season both sides with salt. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. Place currants in a small heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes, then drain. Finely chop half of mozzarella and place in a bowl with currants, ricotta, feta, pine nuts, cinnamon, oregano, parsley, breadcrumbs, and egg. Season with salt and pepper; stir to combine.
• Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Pat eggplant slices dry with paper towels and brush both sides of each evenly with olive oil. Brush grates with vegetable oil and grill eggplant slices, turning occasionally, until charred in places and tender, about 3 minutes a side.
• Transfer to a plate, piling slices on top of one another so that they continue to steam and soften. Let cool 15 minutes. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons filling at one short end of an eggplant slice. Roll up tightly to secure in a cigar shape. Repeat with remaining filling and eggplant slices.
• Spread tomato sauce evenly in the bottom of a 9-by-12-inch gratin dish or 9-inch square baking dish. Arrange eggplant rolls snugly in an even layer, seam-sides down. Thinly slice remaining mozzarella and arrange over top.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Bake until cheese has melted and eggplant is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then garnish with basil and serve with bread.