So I received an eggplant in my Green Bean Delivery organic veggie bin and I had no idea what to do with it. I have ordered eggplant parmesan out at a restaurant before and liked it. However, my novice cooking skills have made me quite intimidated to buy one and actually cook it myself. Not to mention my girls have automatic scowl mode ingrained when they see a plate that isn’t filled with mac-n-cheese or pizza. Here is a great recipe by Irene Young passed down by her mother Linda from the village of Mesta, Xios, Greece.
Linda’s Summer Vegetables
1 lb eggplant cut into chunks
1 zucchini, cut into chunks
sea salt
olive oil- 1/2 cup
1/2 lb trimmed, fresh green beans
2 large potatoes diced
2 large bell peppers diced
2 large carrots sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 medium onions
6-8 mushrooms
2 lbs ripe tomatoes quartered
1/2 cup parsley chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean eggplant and zucchini and cut into chunks and salt—then let sit for 1-2 hours–this is called bleeding the eggplant which helps take the bitterness out of the meat and draws the moisture out so that the eggplant doesn’t absorb too much liquid when cooking.
2. Pat the eggplant dry and saute in olive oil. Then add a dash more oil and add the green beans, potatoes, peppers, carrots and mushrooms; cook for 15 minutes and then add onions and garlic; cook 5 minutes and add tomatoes and parsley; cook for 10 more minutes.
3. Place the vegetable mixture in an oven-safe dish. Cover and bake for 45 min at 350 degrees. Add cheese and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.
