Sautéed Eggplant

Ingredients

1½ to 2 lbs eggplant, preferably small

salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic

freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn (or more, to taste)

Optional seasoning: additional garlic, thyme, coriander, cayenne, parsley …it’s really up to you! :)

Directions

Slice eggplant into ½ inch thick slices; halve or quarter the slices (depending on how big the eggplant is; I usually quarter the slices). If time allows, sprinkle the eggplant liberally with salt and let rest in a colander for up to 1 hour; rinse and pat dry.

Put the olive oil and garlic in a large, sauté pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add eggplant slices. Toss (or stir) almost constantly until the eggplant begins to release some of the oil it has absorbed (5-10 minutes). Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the eggplant is very tender and browned around the edges (usually between 20-35 minutes) – it varies quite a bit depending on how ripe/firm the eggplant is, how thick the slices are, etc.

In the final minutes of cooking, salt and pepper to taste, stir in the basil, and add any additional seasonings desired.

Marinated Eggplant

I took a one-day cooking class when I was in Rome -- "Fabiolous Cooking Day" (the chef's name is Fabio)...actually the class was in Mazzano, a small country village not far from Rome. I haven't found this recipe on the site, so I don't have exact amounts, but I don't remember really measuring anything as we made this dish anyway! :)

eggplant
white wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
garlic
fresh parsley

Thinly slice the eggplant and lay it on a baking sheet or in a baking dish, preferably in a single layer but it's okay if they overlap some. Put it in the oven (375°) until the slices begin to dry and turn a light golden brown. (30-45 minutes, depends how thick your slices are.)

While the eggplant is roasting, dice a few cloves of garlic (more if you like stronger garlic flavor) and chop fresh parsley. I'd guess about three to four cloves of garlic and 2-3 tablespoons of parsley for each medium sized eggplant.

In a bowl, lay down a layer of roasted eggplant and sprinkle generously with equal parts olive oil and white wine vinegar, then toss in some garlic and chopped parsley. Keep layering in that way until you've doused all the eggplant slices. (There was a little oil and wine 'juice' puddling in the bottom of the dish when we made it in my cooking class, but not enough that the eggplant slices were floating around in a brine or anything.)

Put it in the frig to marinate for at least an hour, turning once or twice to coat slices evenly. Longer than an hour would probably be great, though when I made it at home the eggplant leftover the next day was definitely more 'wilted', so don't make this dish too far in advance.

Serve chilled as a side dish.

Ratatouille

Ingredients
eggplant
tomato
zucchini
garlic cloves
olive oil
salt
pepper
parmesan cheese
(salami)

Directions
Arrange thinly sliced eggplant, tomato and zucchini in a deep casserole dish in laternating layers. Add crushed or minced garlic cloves between occasional layers; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper as you layer. Ratatoille is traditionally a peasant dish...which would typically be all vegetarian. Or...you can slip in a layer of salami somewhere in the middle. SLOW cook at a LOW temp (250°F) for 2 to 2½ hours.  Grate parmesan cheese over the top for the last 15 minutes.