Eggplant. What can one say? These big glossy purple blobs of vegetable are all over the produce markets right now. Eggplants are not the most popular of vegetables, but I think it’s mainly an image issue. In reality, they are one of the healthiest vegetables to eat and have a lot going for them. Aside from the nicotine issues, that is. Eggplant has the highest amount of nicotine of any vegetable, mostly contained in all those little bitter seeds. But you’d have to eat more than 20 pounds of seeds to get one cigarette’s worth of nicotine, so it’s not really a problem.
Eggplants are related to tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes, and they are all in the nightshade family, lovely plants that can kill us. The list of edible nightshades is short, but the list of poisonous ones is extensive. The popular belladonna, used by Macbeth to poison an army of Danes intent on invading Scotland was also used on Emperor Claudius back in the day — it’s a nightshade. Jimson weed, mandrake, wolfberry, nightshades all! Please avoid eating them!
But the edible nightshades are some of our best veggies! The aforementioned tomato and potato, for example. The eggplant we know today is actually a large berry with a purple skin that is favored in worldwide food production, along with those other members of the nightshade family. Early versions of cultivated eggplant resembled white eggs, hence the name. Gradually they were cultivated and bred for flavor, leading to the long glossy purple versions favored in Italian cuisine, but I prefer the Japanese style, white tubes of less bitter fruit that come to harvest after only 60 days. Eggplant is a rich source of dietary fibers, vitamins C, K and vitamins of the B group, and minerals such as copper, phosphorus and magnesium. Delphinidin is a substance isolated from eggplant that exhibits anti-tumor properties (it prevents the growth of certain types of cancer). Good stuff!
But how do we cook it? Isn’t a pain in the neck, cleaning it, slicing it, peeling the skin, cutting it into slices, salting it to drain the bitterness, breading and frying in hot oil? Whew, too much work! Not needed though. I’ve got a great recipe for lots of eggplant, with the least amount of work. Eggplant lasagna. Sounds good, right? I found the basic idea for this dish in a recipe by Jamie Oliver. His recipe calls for slicing unskinned eggplant into rounds (I slice mine long ways, into planks!), coating them with olive oil, and roasting them in the oven to form the basis for the lasagna noodles. He gives a great recipe for a traditional sauce and uses parmigiano cheese. I tweaked it a bit and made it even easier — all the better to get all those eggplants out of the garden and onto the table for dinner. And, these lasagnas freeze well, too! I made a couple and froze one for later. As always, using the freshest/best ingredients you can lay your hands on will make the best dish, but it will still taste great using what’s on hand!
Eggplant Lasagna
Ingredients:
3 medium to large eggplants, cut lengthwise into planks about ¼ to ½ inch thick.
Olive oil
1 recipe of sauce (see recipe ) (or 2 jars of your best favorite sauce.)
½ cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, (D.O.P.) preferred.
1 16 oz package mozzarella, fresh or what have you, sliced.
⅓ cup fine bread crumbs (optional for topping)
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped Oregano leaves (optional for topping)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with oil, and place in a single layer on two or more baking sheets. Bake until undersides are golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes, then turn and bake until other sides are lightly browned. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. (see note below).
2. Make your sauce, or heat your jarred version.
Photo: Len Van Vliet
3. Into a 9-by-9-inch, 10-by-5-inch or 10-by-6-inch baking pan, spoon a small amount of tomato sauce, then add a thin scattering of parmigiano, then a single layer of eggplant. Repeat until all ingredients are used, ending with a little sauce and a sprinkling of parmigiano. Cover with sliced mozzarella.In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and oregano, if using, with just enough olive oil to moisten. Sprinkle on top. If desired, recipe can be made to this point and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking.
4. Bake in 375-degree oven for 30 minutes until bubbly. Let rest for 5 minutes, then dig in. Make two like I did and freeze one after baking for later!
Note: It took my oven a little longer to brown the planks to my liking at 450. Your oven may cook them more quickly or slowly. Please adjust!
