Creole Aubergine

Eggplant casserole featuring onions, green bell pepper, garlic, mushrooms and diced tomatoes. Seasoned with basil, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, cayenne, and black pepper. Topped with cheese and bread crumbs.

Ingredients -

1 Eggplant, cubed, sprinkled with salt, and placed in colander 20 minutes
Kosher Salt
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 tablespoons Onions, chopped
3 tablespoons Green Bell Peppers, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Mushrooms, sliced
2 cups canned Diced Tomatoes
1 (4 ounces) can Tomato Paste
1/4 cup Fresh Basil, shredded
1-1/2 teaspoons Ground Bay Leaves
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/2 cup Yellow Cheese, grated
1/2 cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1 tablespoon Butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat skillet. Add vegetable oil and sauté onions and green bell pepper 3 minutes.

2. Add mushrooms and cook additional minute.

3. Add diced tomatoes and tomatoes to skillet.

4. Simmer 15 minutes. Add herbs and seasonings and simmer additional 15 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 350 F.

6. Boil water in large saucepan. Rinse eggplant cubes and drop into boiling water. Parboil 8 minutes or until tender.

7. Remove eggplant to colander and drain.

8. Arrange layer of eggplant in bottom of 10-inch x 10-inch casserole dish.

9. Cover with tomato sauce. Arrange another layer of eggplant and top with sauce.

10. Sprinkle yellow cheese over eggplant. Top with seasoned bread crumbs.

11. Dot bread crumbs with butter.

12. Bake 30 minutes or until bubbling.

Cooking Tip

Pairing With Eggplant

Creamy eggplant flesh acts like a sponge. It soaks up the flavors you pair it with, making eggplant a wonderful ingredient to experiment with and build simple and complex dishes around.

Cooking Tip

Eggplant Season

Summer and fall are traditional seasons for eggplant, although eggplant is stored and distributed to stores throughout the year.