Growing up eating little or no meat, i've never really had the idea that meat makes a meal, but i forget for some people it is the focus on the meal, and everything else is just window dressing. Cooking for a crowd can present this challenge, especially when you have people (okay men) who don't think they could possibly get full from a non-meat meal. I have converted an number of people and made them believers, and Mike is one of my success stories.
On day two of our winter visit to Mike's cottage and after our massive surf & turf meal i thought it would be nice to lighten up the menu a little. We were so preoccupied with the first meal, we had to run out to pick up some more groceries for the second meal. I was wheeling the buggy to the checkout when two of our party realized that there was no meat, they were worried, but i had my secret weapons - pasta and eggplant.
A lot of people claim to dislike eggplant, and i think that's just because they haven't had it made well. I actually didn't really have a plan to make everyone who was skeptical about a meatless meal happy, and Mike was offering to cook up some sausages on the side, but i prevailed.
I think one of the fundamental problems people have with eggplant is the texture. One of the things i've learned to do in order to make people more receptive to them, is either to use the small asian eggplants, or salt the eggplants. After cutting the eggplant into discs i place them in a colander, coat with salt and allow the eggplant to sweat for ten minutes or so. This tends to take the bitterness out of them. you simply wash them off afterwards and pat them dry.
I decided to make mini deconstructed eggplant Parmesan to go with the meal. I lightly covered the eggplant with with a breadcrumb and Parmesan breading, and baked them till golden and topped with with a oven roasted cherry tomato sauce i made and a bit of Parmesan.With the veggie pasta in a rose sauce and a salad even Mikey was happy and there were no sausages necessary!!!
Above:
My eggplants
Fresh out of the oven.
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