I got a beautiful eggplant from Bountiful Sprout this week, and when I was trying to decide what to do with it, I suddenly remembered this dish that I had made many years ago. It comes from the amazing cookbook Tout de Suite a' la Microwave: A gourmet's cookbook of French, Acadian & Creole recipes, by Jean K. Durkee. I'm not sure if it's even still in print, but it would have been worth haunting your used bookstore for, just for the praline recipe alone (see sidebar - favorite recipes). Now that I've rediscovered this recipe - the only way I've ever managed to slip eggplant past my husband - I'd say it's a must have!
Eggplant and Rice Casserole (my Cajun friends call it "dressing")
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6-8
2 medium eggplants, peeled and diced
2 T. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery (I didn't have any, so I added some bell pepper for crunch)
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. lean ground meat or 1 lb. raw peeled shrimp (I used 1/2 lb. of Buddy's Natural Chicken Sausage Links this time, jalapeno variety, diced, and it was quite tasty)
2 cups cooked rice
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/8 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you like things
seasoned bread crumbs (or crumbled crackers)
Parmesan cheese
Optional: 1/2 cup of something tomatoey - catsup, marinara, whatever. This was not in Durkee's recipe, but was in a meat dressing that a Cajun friend cooked for me once, and I liked it.
- Place eggplant and water mixed with salt in a 2 qt. dish. Cover and cook on HIGH for 7 minutes. Stir and drain. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a 3 qt. casserole. Saute' onion and celery on HIGH for 5 minutes.
- Add green onions, parsley and garlic. Saute' on HIGH for 3 minutes.
- Stir in ground meat or shrimp, mix well. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 10 minutes, stirring twice. Drain off fat. Add rice, eggplant, salt and peppers. Stir to mix. Top with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Cover. Microwave on MEDIUM for 5 minutes, or until heated through.
Posts
2 comments:
Wow! All microwave, no oven heat, butter and 'the trinity'? The rest is 'just icing!!'
Nutritious too. Thanks for sharing; I always go blank when thinking about how to use eggplant, except for this standby.
Slice eggplant rounds 1" thick. Salt both sides and let drain in colander 20-30 mins. On a rimmed sheet pan/pizza pan lay out the rounds and brush with olive oil, dash black pepper. Slice big white onion into 1/2" rounds. Lay on top of eggplant. Lightly salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in 350 oven till just tender. Pull out and top each stack with sliced tomato and shredded/grated parmesan cheese. Slide back in oven till melted. Sprinkle with balsamic. Serve with big crunchy green salad and crusty bread.
Sounds yummy!
Post a Comment