Thursday, September 30, 2010

Mediterranean Eggplant with Peppers, and Onions

So much for making my Eggplant balls. My daughter bought a ton of baby Japanese eggplants from our local Latina Produce market for about 10 for $1.00. Wow, how can you not want to get some? The trick is, finding a way of making these babies so they can still "shine" and show off their cute and tiny appearance. Unfortunately, after being roasted in a 375 degree oven, they come out looking like an over baked...or should I say "over tanned" wrinkled old lady. But do not "fret."...that's the best part. You can now, savor the flavor, of the tender,  little eggplants.
Treat them gently, and not peel them to discard their skins, or mash them up into a "Baba Ganoush" which I was about to do. Just let them be, and let their personalities flourish!

Mediterranean Eggplants with Peppers, and Onions
10 small Japanese eggplants
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 large tomato
1 green pepper
1 red, and/or yellow pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1 sprig fresh rosemary, peeled
2 Tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin)
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano (fresh better, if you have it)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick the eggplants a few places with a fork, and lay them on a baking sheet with aluminum foil lined, drizzle them with a Tablespoon of olive oil a few drops of water, and bake them for about 45 minutes. They should feel soft to the touch, brown and somewhat wrinkly. If you have room on the same sheet, (I prefer a separate baking sheet) for the vegetables, and bake them at the same time as the eggplant.
To prepare the vegetables:
Cut peppers in half and clean out the seeds, cut onion in half and cut slices lengthwise also.Cut tomatoes in large cubes. In a bowl, mix them all together with the chopped garlic, the rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper, and place them on the baking sheet, adding the wine, and roast them at the same time, as the eggplant. When both are done, wait for the eggplant to cool a little so you can slice them in thirds and in an oven proof dish, carefully mix the two together. By now, they have gotten a little cool; you can serve them this way, or put the dish back into to oven for about 15 minutes, to thoroughly heat through. Serves 4.



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11 comments:

Monet said...

I adore roasted eggplant...but it is shame that it doesn't look nearly as pretty once it has been cooked. Your dish looks delicious though, and I know it would be something that my husband and I would enjoy. Thank you for sharing it!

Elisabeth said...

Monet,
You're right about that it's a shame that they don't retain their pretty color once that they're cooked, but they are so tender, and delicious. At least I took a photo of the pretty purple color before I roasted it. Thanks for commenting!

Kelsey said...

you should submit this to Erin's "potluck Friday" group. There is a link in my sidebar to her blog.

Dimah said...

I love eggplants! that looks colorful and delicious!

Dimah
http://orangeblossomwater.net

Elisabeth said...

Thank you Kelsey, I will check the link out!

Elisabeth said...

Thank you Dimah, I will just stop by your site for dessert, for your delicious cookies!

Anne said...

Aw, what cute little eggplants! This looks so hearty and delicious, and I love naan, so it sounds like a great supper!

Karen said...

I've been seeing this baby eggplants pop up on blogs but I've never seen them in person...they're adorable! Got to try to find some.
Great colors in this dish...very pretty, even if they do wrinkle a bit. (I laughed at your wrinkled old lady comparison!)

Karen said...

By the way...loved your suggestion on opening a bottle of bubbly last night. Who am I to argue?? (My husband would say that it doesn't take much to get me to celebrate! ha)

Jennifer-Adventuresome Kitchen said...

mmm! This is perfect! I have a bunch of japanese eggplant in my fridge that I was wondering how to prepare! Thanks!

Elisabeth said...

Thank yo all for your nice comments. Please do try the little Japanese eggplants. They are not only pretty, but so delicious!