eggplant – The Pajama Chef

Main Dishes, Recipes, Sandwiches and Wraps

Eggplant Caponata Sandwiches

August 19, 2015August 16, 2015 Sarah

A hot vegetarian sandwich that is more flavorful than you ever could imagine!

Eggplant… in a sandwich? Umm, is that for serious? That was Ben’s reaction, pretty much verbatim when I told him I was making these sandwiches with–you guessed it–a cache of farmer’s market goodies. Eggplant, bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, garlic, oregano, basil cooked in a rich tomato sauce. The result is an intensely flavorful sauce that is absolutely incredible on a good, thick baguette with some melty cheese. Mmmm! And oh? If you encounter any doubters when making this recipe, the smell alone should be enough to sway them. 🙂

Truthfully I hadn’t ever heard of eggplant caponata before finding this recipe, but it sounded kind of Italian sooo I put my librarian hat on and found out it’s a traditional Sicilian dish. It’s always made with eggplant and usually is made with a sweet and sour sauce seasoned with vinegar and olives or capers. You can serve the caponata on bread like I did, or over pasta. This made a huge batch so I served some sandwich-style, more over pasta, and some actually over rice. We eat a lot of rice in this house so it was a natural choice.

I’m not really the meatball sub type, but honestly, this reminded me of a vegetarian meatball sub. It’s hearty and tomato-y, with lots of great flavors and a hearty texture. This is definitely a great meatless dish to try if you like eggplant, or even if you want to introduce it to your family. I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed this saucy goodness [and#thatmeltycheese] for dinner for dayyys on end. I know you’ll ❤ it too!

one year ago: Baked Cauli-Tots
two years ago: Quinoa Black Bean Burritos with Southwest Sauce
three years ago: Summery Squash and Chicken Lasagna
four years ago: Watermelon Coolers
five years ago: Tomato Pie

Eggplant Caponata Sandwiches

Servings: 6-8
Time: 40 minutes
Print

from The Sweets Life

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed – about 4 cups
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
4 ounces white mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
1 – 6 ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
baguette, sliced into small pieces, to serve
shredded mozzarella, to serve
fresh basil, to serve

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot set over medium heat. When hot, add eggplant, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 10-12 minutes, until veggies are soft.

Stir in olives, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, sugar, and oregano. Taste and season again as desired. Reduce heat to low, then cover and cook for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, adding a little water [1-2 tablespoons] if mixture gets too thick or sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Allow caponata to cool for about 20 minutes, then spoon onto slices of baguette, top with mozzarella, and broil until cheese melts. Top with basil and serve immediately. Caponata also freezes well, or can be served over rice or pasta.

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Eggplant Potato Frittata for Two [or a crowd]

July 17, 2013July 17, 2013 Sarah

So, I used to post once a month on a blog called Today’s Housewife. Last fall, the group decided together to stop posting due the busyness of life and families and such. Though sad, I enjoyed being part of the group. As of early January, the blog was officially taken down. But I don’t want to lose my recipes, so periodically I will be reposting them on here. Enjoy!

from September 8, 2011… I need to make this again soon!

Q: How do you get a husband (or kids) to eat eggplant?

A: With eggs, cheese, and potato of course!

This summer my husband and I joined a CSA for the first time. CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture” and is basically a chance to purchase a basket of produce each week from a local farmer. You can read more about our experience here, but for the most part, it’s been great–and it lasts until early November so we still have several months to go! I love that my CSA basket has items that I would never purchase on my own… but sometimes it does create challenges, like when you have an eggplant-hating husband and you receive a pint full of those purple vegetables.

Enter the frittata, also known in my kitchen as a “miracle vegetable hider” or just plain “delicious.” A frittata is a crustless quiche, prepared mostly on the stove but thrown in the oven for a delicious finishing touch. Frittatas sound complex, but are really simple to prepare and make a great, filling dinner on a busy night or an impressive looking meal for company.

Over the past few months, we’ve had the opportunity to make many combinations of frittatas with different vegetables and herbs. It’s amazing what egg and cheese can do! This is my latest version–sweet, chewy eggplant combined with familiar, comforting potatoes was a winner in our book, and I hope you enjoy it too!

Eggplant Potato Frittata for Two [adapted from In Praise of Leftovers and The Pajama Chef]
click to print

Ingredients:

olive oil
3/4 cup potato, cut into very thin rounds
3 small eggplants, chopped [about 3/4 cup]
4 eggs
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped [I used basil] or 1 tablespoon dried herbs
salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheese [I used mozzarella]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a small, ovenproof, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a little oil [once around the pan], then add potato and eggplant. Cook 4-5 minutes or until soft, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, beat eggs, water, and herbs together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

After vegetables are soft, pour in egg mixture and use a spatula to evenly distribute vegetables. Allow to cook for a couple minutes, until the bottom of the frittata starts to set, then use a thin spatula to lift the edge of the frittata. This allows the uncooked egg to transfer below to cook. When eggs are almost set, top with cheese and place in the oven to cook for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Cool briefly before cutting, then serve warm.

Note: Recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, etc. as needed, but leftovers aren’t the best so just make what will be consumed in one meal if possible.

Yield: 2 servings.

Time: 30 minutes.

Linked up with: What’s Cookin’ Wednesday.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups

Roasted Vegetable Soup

October 10, 2011November 14, 2011 Sarah

Okay. So I’m going to forget for a few moments that it’s been in the 80s here in Indiana this week and last, and transport myself back to a time a couple weeks ago where the temperatures were barely in the low 60s and the rain was steadily pouring nearly every day. This requires a bit of willing suspension of disbelief, if you will.

Now that I’m back in those chilly early days of fall if only in my memories, I can recall a delicious soup that popped its way into my oven, onto my stove, and into my heart. A soup that requires little to no effort, sans some chopping, scooping, and measuring that yields a slightly spicy, thick, and comforting bowl of Roasted Vegetable Soup.

Now, despite my love of vegetables, I am by no means a Vegetable Soup kind of girl. Brothy soups are not for me. So when I saw this recipe pop up on my Google Reader, I was a bit skeptical. A soup just made out of vegetables? How much flavor can that really have? Sure, there are some herbs but what can they really do?

Oh, silly me. Clearly I forgot the lessons I learned with Roasted Tomato Sauce or any of the other roasted vegetable dishes I’ve shared on this ‘lil blog. Roasting vegetables makes all the difference. While cooking vegetable stovetop leaves them mushy and a little blah, roasting them brings out tons of flavor and that smooth, creamy texture that I love. This soup’s perfect for cozying up to on a cold, rainy evening, and is the best vehicle for endless bites of warm, crusty bread. Mmm, good!

I’m so glad I decided to give vegetable soup a try. What’s one food that you’re glad that you decided to try?

Roasted Vegetable Soup [from Good Cheap Eats]
printable version

Ingredients:

7 baby eggplants, halved lengthwise [about 3 1/2 cups; original used 1 large eggplant]
2 medium yellow squashes, halved lengthwise
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
4 small sweet peppers [or 2 bell peppers], seeded and halved
2 large carrots, chunked
3 medium tomatoes, halved
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 small hot pepper [optional]
olive oil
freshly ground pepper and salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 bay leaf
4-6 cups chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the vegetables–eggplant, squash, zucchini, peppers, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, and hot pepper–on a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet [or two, in my case]. Brush with a thin layer of oil and season with a generous amount of pepper and a little salt. Roast for 35-45 minutes, until tender and spotted with brown.

Add vegetables to a large stockpot, scooping pulp from eggplant, squash, and zucchini first. Add oregano, basil, and bay leaf, then pour in 4 cups chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.

Remove the bay leaf and discard. Use an immersion blender to blend soup until smooth. Alternatively, use a blender or food processor with caution since the liquid is hot. Add up to 2 more cups of broth if desired to thin. [I didn’t do this.] Serve warm with crusty bread.

Time: 1 hour 40 minutes [10 minutes active].

Yield: 5-6 servings.

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Pacific Natural Foods.