Recipe: (marinara sauce)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrot, small dice
1 cup celery, medium dice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 29oz can tomato sauce
1 28oz can diced tomato
salt and pepper
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add carrot and celery and saute with onion and garlic. Add diced tomato, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook mixture on medium heat, covered, for 45 minutes. Cool sauce and puree. Re-heat sauce when ready to use.
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Several months ago, I tried eggplant for my first time. Prepared in eggplant parmigiana it was breaded and covered with mozzarella. It was excellent. My second experience with eggplant was prepared in a tomato sauce from a Mediterranean restaurant in Chicago. It was excellent for a whole different reason. With these positive experiences in mind, I was inspired to prepare something of my own focused on eggplant.
Initially, I wanted to make two flavors of eggplant "ravioli" - sausage and Parmesan and ricotta with roasted red pepper and garlic. My plan was to slice the eggplant very thin and use two sheets to make a pillow with filling in it. The ravioli would be breaded with panko, pan-fried, and served with homemade marinara.
The preparation seemed to have promise but the execution quickly fell apart. I sliced the eggplant on a mandolin at a width of 1/16th inch. The slices were soaked in dilute lemon water briefly, dried, and salted to help remove any bitterness. I'd never prepared eggplant before and was relying on what literature I found online. These steps might not have been necessary at all! After rinsing the eggplant "noodles" I dried them again and attempted to prepare my first "ravioli." Unfortunately, the variety of eggplant I chose was too wide and some of the slices too short to make the necessary pocket. It quickly became apparent that my original idea wasn't going to work.
Somewhat discouraged, I considered scrapping the project. But unwilling to waste the time and effort I had put in, I changed directions slightly. The eggplant "noodles" turned into the layers of my eggplant lasagna. Layers of eggplant alternated with a ricotta/cottage cheese/Parmesan mixture and a sausage/beef layer. Homemade marinara sauce separated the layers and provided necessary liquid to braise the eggplant. To my chagrin, I admit, that the whole dish was topped off with a generous portion of mozzarella cheese. After 45-60 minutes in the oven at 350F, I was ready -however anxious- to taste the creation.
The dish seemed to be an instant, epic failure when the sharpest knife in my kitchen couldn't make a clean cut through the layers of eggplant and sauce. Granted, my knives aren't very sharp, but really... Eventually, we managed to saw a couple of pieces out of the 13"x9" pan and transfer the mess to a couple of plates. Some of the issue could be attributed to not having peeled the eggplant. In addition, the whole mass moved as I tried to cut through the layers. Refer to the exhibit below:
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| Epic [Eggplant Lasagna] "Failure" |
The look of the finished product did not live up to my expectations, so I was wary of the taste. My initial impression was not favorable. The eggplant continued to be difficult to cut through and the texture and flavor did not dance in my mouth. The mixture of marinara, meat, and cheese went well with the crusty bread that accompanied the meal but, as a whole, I was not a fan of the eggplant. I think the dish was tasty enough for someone who enjoys eggplant but was not to my preference. The top layer of the lasagna covered with baked mozzarella was fabulous but not representative of the dish as a whole.
After a couple days covered in the fridge I decided to give the dish a second chance. Oddly, it was much easier to cut the lasagna when it was cold than fresh out of the oven. The taste was still paletable but did not improve in my opinion much.
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| Eggplant Lasagna with Parmesan, Ricotta, Sausage and Marinara |
Although pasta lasagna would have been a better choice in the end, I was glad I chose to attempt this dish, substituting the eggplant for the pasta component. In the same way we hold onto good recipes, we can avoid wasting time and energy with recipes we don't enjoy only when we give them a chance and try them - at least once.
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