Roasted Eggplant Lasagna

I've been on an eggplant kick lately. I've been trying to come up with ways to use that beautiful purple-skinned vegetable to replace meat in some of my favorite Italian dishes. I've made a couple vegetarian lasagnas in the past, but they've always just been so-so. In rolls the eggplant...

Most of the eggplant lasagna recipes that I found used eggplant in place of noodles. I didn't want to give up my noodles. I like my carbs, thank you. I made this recipe up, so again, the measurements are going to be slightly approximated. 

I only had one eggplant in the fridge. If you are going to make a 9x13 of lasagna and you want more than one layer of eggplant, you're going to need at least 2 medium-large eggplants. I had to throw in a layer of spinach because I only had enough eggplant to cover one layer and lasagna just isn't lasagna without multiple layers. 

2 medium/large eggplants, sliced lengthwise 1/4" thick

kosher salt

olive oil

2-3 shallots, chopped

15 oz. ricotta

2 eggs, slightly beaten

salt and pepper

1 tsp. oregano

10-12 uncooked lasagna noodles

24 oz jar of pasta sauce (I used Newman's Own Sockarooni)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

Preheat broiler. Sprinkle salt on both sides of sliced eggplant and place in strainer and allow to drain over sink for 30 minutes. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place eggplant on a baking sheet, brush both sides with olive oil. Broil for 10-20 minutes, turning once halfway through, or until eggplant begins to brown slightly. Remove from oven and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix together shallots, ricotta, eggs, salt, pepper, and oregano. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Place a layer of uncooked noodles on top of the sauce. Next add a layer of ricotta mixture, followed by a layer of eggplant, then tomato sauce, and finish with mozzarella cheese. Repeat. Noodles, ricotta, eggplant, tomato sauce, cheese. I had quite a bit of sauce left so I added another layer of noodles, sauce and cheese. Sprinkle grated parmesan on top. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and bubbly. 

Review - I really liked this dish. This was the first vegetarian lasagna that I didn't find myself longing for some Italian sausage after the first bite. I would serve this to company if we ever actually had people over. Jay ate two servings. Eli did pretty well, but didn't want to pick it up with his hands, so I had to feed him. No big deal. When I set the plate down in front of Josie her response was, "Gross!" We quickly had a little lesson on table etiquette. In the end she ate most of her serving, along with salad and bread. I could tell the kids weren't as excited about this dish as I was, but they ate it, so I was happy.

Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad

One word, one syllable, yum. It's another Smitten Kitchen success! This recipe was excellent. I served it as a main course, but it would also work well as a side dish. This would also be a great dish to take to a potluck as it can be made a day ahead. I made a few changes based on personal preference and ingredients available to me. The original can be found by clicking on the link above.

Makes 4 (main course) or 8 (side dish) servings

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 medium zucchinis, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, separated
1 teaspoon salt, separated
1 teaspoon black pepper, separated

1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne 

1 1/4 cups pearl barley (8 oz)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon sugar (I forgot to add this, it was fine without)
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, rinsed and drained if desired
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

Roast eggplant and zucchini: Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Toss eggplant and zucchini with 5 tablespoons oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then spread on large baking sheet. Roast vegetables in oven, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes total. Allow vegetables to cool.

Cook barley: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onions, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add barley and cook, stirring until well coated with oil, 2 minutes more. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all of liquid is absorbed and barley is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Make dressing and assemble salad: Whisk together lemon juice, garlic, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add barley, roasted vegetables, and remaining ingredients to bowl with dressing and toss until combined well.

Review - I think this dish is in the lead as my favorite so far this year. The flavors are really wonderful and fresh. I found myself closing my eyes after each bite so that I could taste the mint and the olives and the coriander. Josie was the only one who didn't like this dish. The red onion was pretty intense. So there was that and the fact that I had just taken a batch of soft pretzels out of the oven before dinner and it was kind of like torture for her to see them cooling on the counter. Eli went to town. I'm realizing this kid will eat anything. He didn't care for the Kalamata olives, but he ate just about everything else. Jay and I both liked this a lot. If I could have kicked everyone out of the house for an hour, I could have whipped this up pretty quickly (or I could have taken a nap), but it took me all morning to put this together with Sir Climbs on Everything and Princess Asks a Million Questions.

This Mom's Favorite Pizza

...also known as Pioneer Woman's Favorite Pizza

Heaven, I'm in heaven. And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. This is the song that plays over and over again in my head while eating this pizza. I love it. I love it a whole lot. I'll pretty much tell anyone who will listen just how wonderful this pizza is. In fact, most of you reading this have probably already heard my spiel and you've probably heard it more than once. Well this is the last time, I promise. Just do yourself a favor and make this pizza, please.

Crust

1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

2 cups bread flour

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/4 cup Olive oil

3/4 cup warm water

Pizza

1 large eggplant

Kosher salt 

1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes

2 tsp. chopped garlic

8 oz. mozzarella, sliced thinly or grated

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Olive oil

TO MAKE THE CRUST

Sprinkle yeast over 3/4 cup warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and olive oil. Mix with wooden spoon until combined. Form dough into a ball. Lightly oil another bowl. Place dough in bowl and toss to coat with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge until you need it. Dough will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

TO MAKE THE PIZZA

Preheat oven broiler. Remove dough from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.

Slice the eggplant thinly. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and place into a strainer in the sink. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant lightly in cold water, then pat the slices dry between layers of paper towels.

Slice grape tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss into a bowl with minced garlic. Set aside.

Cut eggplant slices into fourths, and toss with olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and place 8 inches under the broiler. Broil for 3 minutes, then toss around and broil another 3 minutes. Remove pan from oven and add tomato/garlic mixture. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and set aside. (May do this 1 hour in advance.)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and use fingers to coat thoroughly. Remove the pizza dough from the bowl. Stretch pizza dough into a large rectangle, pressing with fingers to finish forming. Dough will be very thin. Let dough rest for 20 minutes. Lightly drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and use fingers to spread. Sprinkle mozzarella over the surface of the dough. Spread vegetables all over the surface of the cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from pan and slice with a pizza cutter.

Are you drooling a little? You should be.

Review - Everyone loves this pizza, toddler, baby, husband, dog, everyone. I've made it around ten times now and it's one of the best things to come out of this kitchen. The key to preparing eggplant is the salt. You need the salt to draw out the bitterness. Do not skip this step. It's my firm belief that people who say that they don't like eggplant haven't had it prepared correctly. Even if you're not a fan of eggplant at least try the crust. It's amazing. Prior to giving up meat, my second favorite pizza to make, using this crust, was an Italian sausage, sauteed red onion, and sauteed mushroom pizza.