Growing up we always had eggplant growing in the summer. Though the ripe fruits themselves were easily the most gorgeous things to come out of the garden, cooked eggplant was dowdy. Taste-wise, it was okay, but somehow non-committal. The texture was spongy. I remember this one eggplant casserole that everybody’s mom made– it must’ve come from either a Junior League cookbook or Southern Living–and it had crushed saltines on top. It smelled fine cooking, but when it landed on your plate, it was unattractive: gray, saltine colored on top, and completely uninspiring. It’s what came to mind whenever I thought about cooking eggplant at home.
But then I learned to roast vegetables.
Roasted eggplant was a revelation. Roasting took away some of the sponginess, giving the eggplant a more appealing texture. Roasting also gave the eggplant a bit of golden brown color, so it looked a lot better. But the real shocker was the taste. Eggplant has always been willing to take on the flavors of anything you cook it with, but it never contributed much. But roast it with merely a drizzle of olive oil and a little salt and pepper, and the eggplant’s own flavor wakes up. It’s a sort of lovely meaty toasted sweetness. (How’s that for a taste description?) And it smells absolutely wonderful as it browns.
The recipe below is a Gulf Coast restaurant classic that I have adapted to include both roasted eggplant and roasted tomatoes. The roasting step is easy, but it makes a world of difference in the finished dish. And who knew you could roast canned tomatoes??? It won’t be the last time you do this, I promise.
This is a glamorous-looking dish, and is easily assembled ahead and baked just before serving. If you really want to tart it up, garnish each finished eggplant half with three or four oven roasted large shrimp. Just peel the shrimp, toss with olive oil and salt and pepper–maybe a little Creole seasoning–and arrange on the baking sheet for the last 7 or 8 minutes of cooking time.
Creole Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients
- 3 medium eggplants
- 1 can diced tomatoes, very well drained, juice reserved
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼-½ tsp cayenne
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup soft fresh breadcrumbs, divided
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Cover a large sheet pan with parchment and drizzle the parchment with olive oil.
- Do not peel any of the eggplants. Slice two of the eggplants in half lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh leaving ½ inch margin all around. Chop the pulp finely and put it on the sheet pan. Cut the third eggplant into 1” cubes. Add the cubes to the sheet pan.
- Squeeze as much juice out of the tomatoes as you can, reserving all the juice. Add the tomatoes to the sheet pan. Arrange the vegetables in one layer, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until dry and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the heat down to 325°.
- Meanwhile, sauté the onions, bell pepper, and celery with a pinch of salt until very soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the reserved tomato juice and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add the wine and all of the herbs and spices. Bring to a boil and cook a few minutes until the liquid in the pan is reduced by about half. Remove from the heat.
- Fold together the eggplant-tomato mixture, the onion mixture, parmesan cheese, and ⅔ of the breadcrumbs. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Divide evenly among the 4 eggplant shells. Do not pack the stuffing in the shells, use a light hand. The filling should mound up. Put the stuffed eggplant halves back on the parchment-covered sheet pan. Sprinkle with the rest of the breadcrumbs and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until a toothpick pierces the eggplant shells easily, about 45 minutes.
Notes
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