Eggplant

From my garden: Eggplant
From the Compassion Garden: tomatoes, cucumbers, basil
Sunday Lunch: Ellen’s Oven Ribs, Ratatouille, Brown Rice, Corn on the cob, Fresh Green Bean and Red Potato Salad, tossed salad, and Whole Wheat Rolls.

My second attempt at trying eggplants in Indiana worked! The last weeks I’ve harvested several large eggplants and I am happy and proud! Not only are the plants themselves nice looking plants for a small garden like mine, but the purple fleshed large fruits make the plants look exotic.

I usually crave ratatouille this time of year and now can make it once a week with fresh eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini readily available. I serve ratatouille with pasta or with brown rice with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. It is also good as a side dish with chicken and a crusty bread.

Other favorite uses for eggplant: Moussaka (a Greek dish of sautéed eggplant slices layered with a tomato based meat sauce and topped with a custard-like cheese sauce), babaghanoush (a roasted eggplant dip), and Eggplant Parmesan (breaded eggplant with a tomato sauce and cheese).

Ratatouille

½ cup olive oil
1 large red onion
4 cloves garlic
1 large eggplant
3 med zucchini
1 green pepper
10 roma tomatoes
½ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper

Sauté sliced onions in olive oil. Add green pepper and eggplant and sauté until vegetables begin to soften. Add zucchini, garlic, and ¼ cup basil and sauté for an additional 3 or 4 minutes. Then add tomatoes. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Stir in the remaining fresh basil and parsley a minute before taking off the heat. Serve over pasta or rice. You can roast eggplant, green pepper and zucchini in the oven for 30-40 minutes before adding to the rest of the ingredients.