No, eggplant is not currently in season in California. But I'm out of veggies from last week's CSA box and a walk past the shiny purple plants at the grocery store (plus the fact that it's been months since I've had one) was more than I could pass up today. Pair it with some marinara and cheese for a super tasty (and easy to make) main dish. Here's what I did:
Eggplant Marinara
olive oil
1 medium eggplant, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
2 c. marinara sauce
8 oz. mozzarella, grated
1/4 c. parmesan, grated
Pan fry eggplant in olive oil over medium heat until tender, 2-3 minutes per side. Depending on the size of the pan (and the eggplant), you'll probably have to do this in a couple of batches.
Cover the bottom of a baking dish with marinara sauce (I'll post a recipe soon - for tonight's weeknight version, I used pre-made). Layer eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella, finishing with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Broil for 2 minutes or until the top begins to brown.
Tonight, I paired the eggplant with a spinach salad. It probably should have been enough for 3-4 servings, but it tasted so good that we ate every bit of it! Hopefully that will hold us over a few months until we can get some fresh eggplant from the local farmers market!
Hey, thanks for the link love over there. I actually found you not through trackback but because of CSAdelivery's trackback and well, they have you linked.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, it's great to find other people in SF who receive the shipment and are sharing what they do with it online.
Like yours, my blog extends beyond that too--and this is a great, simple recipe for eggplant marinara! Right on.
C