Here comes soulfood from Italy. Serve it tepid, never directly from the oven!!! Or re-heat it the next day.
http://www.wineberserkers.com/content/?p=3767
ENJOY
Martin
P.S. taste so good on Day 2 even cold. Now we have the perfect harmony and the tomato is NOT dominating. Strong eggplant flavor. UMAMI
Looks good. Does your recipe call for salting to release the bitterness in the natural liquid?
Something I’m now forbidden ![[swearing.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8a0d3f3461d40641d294442fc2be78039bf94d19.gif "[swearing.gif]"){kind=small}
Looks great. I’ve just finishing “building” the casserole and will cook later for dinner tonight. Italian soul food? OK. I just got a 1998 Rocca Barbaresco Rabaja at auction.Maybe I’ll drink it with the soul food.
Looks great. Such a good dish when done right.
I typically peel the eggplant and salt and drain when I make mine.
I like the technique i saw years ago at Little Joe’s in North Beach, San Francisco.
They dipped the sliced eggplant in flour, then eggs and fried in oil. They ‘rinsed’ the fried eggplant in the pan with chicken stock. Drained and then added tomato sauce, simmered, and then covered with cheese. Once the cheese was bubbling and the sauce reduced a bit, they served it. Easy and delicious. Liked the removal of the excess oil through the use of chicken stock. (I have not been to Little Joe’s in years so I have no idea about the quality of the food today.)
NO, I never do this.
"A friend came over to dinner earlier this year and we cooked this dish 7 differant ways, trying to find the best method. Agree that pre cooking the aubergine in the oven is the best way to get them soft. "
Cameron Clark
I made a casserole of this out of four large eggplants. It was very nice for dinner and I think even better reheated for lunch three days later because the flavors melded and the eggplant cooked a bit more. I think I will cook the eggplant a bit longer next time, but that is a personal preference. I like it a bit more when the tomatoes and the eggplant blend together a bit more. but others may prefer that the eggplant remain more distinct
In our house Mike, its a must. After the salt soak, they spend the day drying out a bit in the sun. It greatly improves the texture and end product.
This is the way of Napoli!