Recipe Eggplant (Aubergine) My Way

ElizabethB

ElizabethB

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NOTE #1 Authenticity - This dish is off of the top of my head. I am NOT trying to make any authentic dish.
NOTE #2 I know that some of you are fiercely anti cheese and seafood. Don't try it if the idea offends your culinary sensibilities.

To the rest of you - enjoy!

EGGPLANT MY WAY

EGGPLANT

1 Black Beauty (purple) eggplant - ends removed - cut into 1/4" slices (I used my mandolin)
2/3 cup bread crumbs - seasoned - thyme, oregano, granulated garlic and 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes NO SALT
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano
1 egg whisked
Sea salt - lots
2 TBSP. butter
2 TBSP. EVOO

Heat oven to 180 degrees F.

You all know that eggplant has a very high water content. I salt my eggplant prior to cooking to remove excess water.

Line a sheet pan with at least 4 sheets of paper towels. Place eggplant rounds on towels. Salt GENEROUSLY. Turn over and salt the other side. Cover with 4 sheets of paper towels. Let rest for 20 minutes. The paper towels will be saturated. Replace paper towels both top and bottom and let rest for another 20 minutes.

Use a paper towel to wipe off excess salt.

In a shallow bowl combine bread crumbs, herbs, pepper flakes and Parmesan. In an other bowl whisk egg.

In a large skillet heat butter and EVOO.
Wash the eggplant slices in the egg then dredge in the bread crumbs. Add to the hot oil. Do not crowd. When the bottom is golden turn and cook the other side. Remove to a sheet pan with a rack. Keep warm in oven. I have a ball of foil that I tuck between the oven door and frame. That allows the steam to escape. Whatever I am keeping warm does not get mushy.

SHRIMP

1 LB. large shrimp peeled and deveined - Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss and set aside.
!/2 onion small dice
2 cloves garlic smashed and minced
2 TBSP. butter
2 TBSP. EVOO
!/2 cup heavy cream (more or less)
All purpose flour - 3 to ? TBSP.
1/2 to 3/4 cup shrimp/seafood stock. I used Better Than Bouillon Lobster Base.
Chopped flat leaf parsley
Grated Parmesan Reggiano

Heat oil and butter
On medium heat sauté onions until soft
Add garlic and cook until just fragrant
Add flour - 1 tbsp. at a time until you have a loose blonde roux.
Add stock
Stir - bring to a low simmer. You may need more stock.
Add cream
Simmer until the sauce coats a spoon.
Taste
Add salt and pepper if needed

Add shrimp.
Cook on medium until shrimp are just cooked. If sauce thickens too much add more stock.
Add chopped parsley

Plate eggplant slices then top with the shrimp and sauce Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and minced parsley.

eggplant2.jpg


The tomatoes are Black Krim heirloom tomatoes salvaged from my garden before a hard frost.
 
Its interesting your instructions about salting the aubergine to remove moisture. It was always advice to salt them to remove the bitter juice but recently advice is that there is no need to do this as the bitter taste has been bred out of them. But I see, that you are salting it to remove moisture. Have you tried making this without salting? What would happen - would they fail to crisp up?
 
That looks really good. I'm toying with the idea of making a shrimp etouffee stuffed pirogue for the challenge. I was going to use Japanese eggplant for the pirogue. I didn't like the looks of the ones at the grocery, so I'll have to check in one of the Asian markets.
 
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CraigC said:
That looks really good. I'm toying with the idea of making a shrimp etouffee stuffed pirogue for the challenge. I was going to use Japanese eggplant for the pirogue. I didn't like the looks of the ones at the grocery, so I'll have to check in one of the Asian markets.
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I had to look up shrimp étouffe - I guessed it meant stuffed but that's just my poor French! Here is Wiki:

Étouffée or etouffee is a dish found in both Cajun and Creole cuisine typically served with shellfish over rice. The dish employs a technique known as smothering, a popular method of cooking in the Cajun areas of southwest Louisiana. Wikipedia
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morning glory said:
I had to look up shrimp étouffe - I guessed it meant stuffed but that's just my poor French! Here is Wiki:
Click to expand...
Your French is better than mine. Here is a little true story I call:

The French Misconnection
Ever have a menu misunderstanding?
Back in September 2007, I went to Marseille for business. The folks I was doing the job for put me up in a hotel and I was on my own for dinner. There was a little bistro across the street and I had eaten there for the past two days. I had been lucky in my selections those two days as the menu was in French only, which I don't speak. However, I do have a little knowledge from some familiarity with Cajun food names. I'm really familiar with Andouille. I also thought that the French, by adding "ette" to the end of a word meant pettite or small. So when I saw Andouillette on the menu, my mind read "little Andouille". After conferring with a lady that spoke a little english, which mainly involved pointing and head shaking, I decided that this would be good and ordered it. Big mistake!
ohmy.gif
When the plate arrived, there was one large sausage looking item, a good size bowl of mustard sauce and some roasted potatoes. After poking around some with my fork at the browned sausage casing, I decided that sausage is sausage and cut off a bite. After popping it in my mouth and starting to chew, I realized what that mustard sauce was for!
shock.gif
This was offal, but I managed to get about 3/4 of it down before the mustard sauce ran out. BTW, the large grin on that lady's face should have given me a clue. Next evening I found an Italian place around the corner.
wink.gif


It wasn't until the flight back that I found out what Andouillette is. It really is offal, as in tripe, and apparently some sort of national dish. They can keep it!
 
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morning glory said:
Have you tried making this without salting? What would happen - would they fail to crisp up?
Click to expand...

Yes and yes. Removing the excess water makes a difference - the crust had a crunch and the inside was tender but not mushy. I started salting eggplant some years ago and like the difference it makes in the texture.

Shrimp or crawfish are used for etouffee. It is eaten over rice or used as a stuffing for assorted vegetables. My baby Brother makes a savory crawfish pie that is to die for. For his pie he uses less rice than you would find on a plate of etouffee - lots of crawfish.

@CraigC

Andouille was originally made with tripe, organ meats and scraps. When I was very young my Mother's family would have a boucherie every fall. These were poor, country people who did not know they were poor. They had plenty to eat, clothes on their backs, and lots of loving family. Most were share croppers. NOTHING was wasted! So ofal in the Andouille. They also made blood boudin and blood pudding. This was in the late 50's - early 60's. What you had was authentic andouille. Very different from what you find now.

I lived in NOLA for 4 years and frequently had eggplant planks topped with either crawfish or shrimp etouffee sans rice. My dish is a riff on that concept. I added the parmesan to the bread crumbs and made a cream sauce rather than a traditional etouffee sauce.
 
ElizabethB said:
Yes and yes. Removing the excess water makes a difference - the crust had a crunch and the inside was tender but not mushy. I started salting eggplant some years ago and like the difference it makes in the texture.

Shrimp or crawfish are used for etouffee. It is eaten over rice or used as a stuffing for assorted vegetables. My baby Brother makes a savory crawfish pie that is to die for. For his pie he uses less rice than you would find on a plate of etouffee - lots of crawfish.

@CraigC

Andouille was originally made with tripe, organ meats and scraps. When I was very young my Mother's family would have a boucherie every fall. These were poor, country people who did not know they were poor. They had plenty to eat, clothes on their backs, and lots of loving family. Most were share croppers. NOTHING was wasted! So ofal in the Andouille. They also made blood boudin and blood pudding. This was in the late 50's - early 60's. What you had was authentic andouille. Very different from what you find now.

I lived in NOLA for 4 years and frequently had eggplant planks topped with either crawfish or shrimp etouffee sans rice. My dish is a riff on that concept. I added the parmesan to the bread crumbs and made a cream sauce rather than a traditional etouffee sauce.
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Off topic question for you. Do you recognize any of these folks, Steve Riley, Wayne Toups, Michael Doucet, Jo-el Sonnier, Lawrence Walker or these titles Madam Sostan, Jolie Blon, Allons Danser Colinda, Madame Edouard and Love Bridge Waltz? You see, I'm not only about the food!
 
Duhhh! Yes. Local celebrities. Wonderful music. On the art front Floyd Saunier - pencil and charcoal drawings of Acadiana scenes. George Rodrigue - known internationally for his Blue Dog and Red Dog paintings. I much prefer his older work - Acadian.

Sound like you may need to be an adopted Acadian. :happy:

If you ever head out this way let me know. I would love to share a meal or a cup of coffee with you and your wife.
 
ElizabethB said:
Duhhh! Yes. Local celebrities. Wonderful music. On the art front Floyd Saunier - pencil and charcoal drawings of Acadiana scenes. George Rodrigue - known internationally for his Blue Dog and Red Dog paintings. I much prefer his older work - Acadian.

Sound like you may need to be an adopted Acadian. :happy:

If you ever head out this way let me know. I would love to share a meal or a cup of coffee with you and your wife.
Click to expand...

I fell in love with the food, music and most of the people I met while I worked as a commercial diver back in the '70s. Our daughter went to college in NOLA. Not Tulane. We have two granddaughters that are 1/2 coonass.:D
 
morning glory said:
Its interesting your instructions about salting the aubergine to remove moisture. It was always advice to salt them to remove the bitter juice but recently advice is that there is no need to do this as the bitter taste has been bred out of them. But I see, that you are salting it to remove moisture. Have you tried making this without salting? What would happen - would they fail to crisp up?
Click to expand...
I always thought it was baby aubergines that didn't need salting. The one I used in my Imam Bayildi recipe was salted and I got quite a lot of liquid out of it.

@ElizabethB Lovely way of cooking aubergines :D
 
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