Smoky Eggplant And Melon Wraps Recipes

EGGPLANT WRAPS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine oil and dried herbs. Lightly brush each eggplant slice on both sides with herbed oil.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, arrange as many pieces of eggplant in a single layer as will fit. Fry each side until golden brown and softened, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer cooked eggplant to a plate, and repeat with remaining slices.
• Rinse spinach in cold water, and place the wet leaves in a dry medium saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Drain well.
• Assemble wraps by taking a slice of eggplant and placing a heaping tablespoon of spinach on one side. Top spinach with a sun-dried tomato half, a few toasted pine nuts and a slice of Cheddar. Fold the eggplant in half so that filling is completely covered. Place on a large nonstick baking sheet. Repeat to make 16 wraps, placed side by side. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake until cheese has melted, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

ROASTED EGGPLANT CAPONATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
• Place the whole eggplant on the pan, prick with a fork in several places, and rub with olive oil. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft when pierced with a knife. Set aside to cool. Halve the eggplant, peel, and discard the skin. Place the eggplant, peppers, and olives in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. Pour into a mixing bowl.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onion is lightly browned. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, and add to the eggplant mixture. Add the parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice, capers, tomato paste, vinegar, salt, and pepper and mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. Taste for seasonings and serve at room temperature with toasted pita triangles.

SMOKY EGGPLANT SPREAD

Steps:

• Prepare a charcoal fire or heat the broiler. Pierce eggplants here and there with the point of a paring knife. Place eggplants 2 inches from heat source. Allow skins to blister and char, turning with tongs until entire surface is blackened and eggplants are completely soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Slice eggplants in half lengthwise and lay skin side down on a cutting board. Carefully scrape away flesh with a knife and put it in a colander. Discard burned skins. Do not rinse eggplant flesh - a few bits of remaining char is fine. Salt flesh lightly and leave for 5 to 10 minutes, then squeeze into a ball to remove liquid.
• Blitz eggplant, 1/2 teaspoon salt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cayenne in a food processor or blender to obtain a creamy purée. (For a more rustic spread, beat with a whisk instead.) Taste and adjust salt and lemon juice if necessary. Transfer mixture to a shallow serving bowl.
• Just before serving, stir together cumin and olive oil, and spoon over the mixture's surface. Sprinkle with paprika, parsley and mint. Serve with warm pita cut into triangles if desired.

ROASTED JAPANESE EGGPLANT WITH CRUSHED TOMATO, PECORINO AND THYME

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Peel the eggplant and place in a roasting pan or dish. Coat eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and light golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• While the eggplant cooks, hand-crush the tomato in a medium bowl and add garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining olive oil and thyme sprigs. Stir to combine.
• When eggplant is tender and light golden brown, add tomato mixture to the roasting pan, and roast for another 10 minutes.
• Scatter with pecorino and roast for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
• Transfer to a serving dish, including the pan drippings, and serve hot.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Place eggplant, zucchini, onion and mushrooms in a 2 quart casserole dish. In a small bowl combine the tomato paste with the water, and stir in garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables and mix well.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until eggplant is tender, stirring occasionally. Add water as necessary if vegetables begin to stick; however, vegetables should be fairly dry, with slightly browned edges.

EGGPLANT BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place eggs and bread crumbs in 2 separate bowls. Dip eggplant slices in eggs, then in bread crumbs to coat. Fry coated eggplant slices in the skillet until golden brown. Season with salt, and drain on paper towels.
• In the prepared baking dish, layer eggplant, onion, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and feta cheese. Top with strips of Muenster.
• Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

BAKED EGGPLANT STICKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with oil.
• Place eggplant strips in a bowl and season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl, and egg whites in another.
• Dip a few strips of eggplant at a time into the egg whites, then into the breadcrumbs. Using a fork, remove eggplant from crumbs and place on the baking sheets. Spray with more oil and bake 10 minutes in the middle rack.
• Turn over and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot.
• Cook in batches, putting the sticks in the basket in an even layer, careful not to overcrowd it. Spritz with olive oil spray. Air Fry at 350F for 10 minutes, turning halfway.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Arrange the eggplant slices on several baking sheets and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt. Set aside to let the bitter juices weep from the eggplant, about 1 hour.
• Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, and season with pepper.
• Place the flour in a medium lipped plate or bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
• In a large straight-sided skillet, pour the oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until it registers 400 degrees F on a deep frying thermometer. (The oil must be heated to 400 degrees F. so that the breaded eggplant, when added, will drop the temperature of the oil to the proper frying temperature of 375 degrees F.)
• Working in small batches, fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 15 x 10- x 2-inch-baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/3 of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another 1/3 of the sauce. Scatter half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use immediately, store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Yield: about 3 1/2 cups
• Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

EGGPLANT AND RED PEPPER BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix red bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a large mixing bowl; season with basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the pepper mixture; toss to coat the vegetables evenly.
• Brush eggplant slices with olive oil to coat thinly.
• Spread about 1/3 of the pepper mixture into the bottom of a square glass baking dish; top with a layer of about 1/3 of the eggplant. Repeat layering twice more. Top final layer with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is browned and the vegetables are bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes.

SMOKY EGGPLANT AND MELON WRAPS

Steps:

• 1. Quarter the eggplant length-wise, and slice into 24 long, very thin strips. Using a mondoline or sharp vegetable peeler.
• 2. Whisk together oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, paprika, cumin and salt in a 9" square baking dish. Add the eggplant strips and let marinate for 10 minutes.
• 3. Heat the gas grill to high. Grill eggplant strips for 2 minutes on either side or until the strips are tender and have grill marks.
• 4. Wrap 1 strip grilled eggplant around each melon chunk, and secure with a toothpick.
• 5. Enjoy!