Eggplant

I love eggplant. The problem I have with this vegetable is that the only way I really know how to prepare it is either a ratatouille or as eggplant parmesan. When making Ratatouille it ends up rather soggy and when making eggplant parmesan you end up using so much cheese you may as well wear it. Here is a great recipe for eggplant that is a bit lower in fat but is not short on flavor.

Eggplant Ricotta

Sauce Ingredients:

1 – 15oz can Tomato Sauce

1 Bell Pepper, Roasted, Skin and seeds removed

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp each dried basil and oregano

1/4 tsp salt and fresh ground pepper

To roast the pepper, rub with olive oil and grill or broil until the skin has blackened. Put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for about 15-20 min. Under running water, peel off the skin (it should slip right off). Open up and take out the stem, seeds and ribs.

Put all sauce ingredients into a blender and liquefy.

Eggplant Ingredients:

2- medium eggplant

olive oil

salt and pepper

3 C packed fresh spinach or kale

1-15 oz container skim milk ricotta

1/2 tsp each dried basil and oregano

1 clove garlic, crushed

Start by preparing the eggplant. Cut off both ends. Holding the eggplant lengthwise cut a thin slice off each side. Then slice lengthwise in slices just a bit smaller than 1/2”. Make sure you cut the eggplant in an even number of slices as we will be using them two by two. Brush with olive oil and broil 2-4 minutes until lightly browned. Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a medium skillet add a little water and the spinach or kale. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, cover and cook about 2 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and drain the water. Mix together with ricotta basil, oregano and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The next step is to make little sandwiches with the eggplant. Put a dollop of sauce under each slice of eggplant. Then layer, first with eggplant, then ricotta mixture and topping off with another slice of eggplant. Once all is layered top with remaining sauce and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Top with toasted pine nuts if you want.