**Sicilian Eggplant: A Delightful Journey into Sicilian Cuisine**
Sicilian eggplant, a culinary gem of Sicily, Italy, is a symphony of flavors that captures the essence of the region's rich culinary heritage. This versatile vegetable takes center stage in an array of tantalizing dishes, each showcasing the unique characteristics of eggplant and the diverse culinary techniques of Sicily. From the classic Eggplant Parmigiana, a layered masterpiece of eggplant, tomato sauce, and melted cheese, to the savory Eggplant Caponata, a sweet and sour delight featuring eggplant, tomatoes, and capers, the recipes in this article offer a delightful journey into the heart of Sicilian cuisine.
EGGPLANT CAPONATA (SICILIAN VERSION)
Delicious relish or appetizer that can be served hot or cold! Serve with toasted crusty bread.
Provided by rocks_67
Categories Appetizers and Snacks Antipasto Recipes
Time 1h34m
Yield 16
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Toss eggplant with salt and place in a colander set over a bowl. Let sit, about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add eggplant and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in celery mixture, tomatoes, olives, capers, tomato paste, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until caponata is thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Season caponata with vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 54.3 calories, Carbohydrate 4.9 g, Fat 3.9 g, Fiber 1.9 g, Protein 0.9 g, SaturatedFat 0.5 g, Sodium 297 mg, Sugar 2.2 g
SICILIAN STYLE SPAGHETTI AND EGGPLANT
Provided by Tyler Florence
Categories main-dish
Time 1h30m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Slice the eggplants into 1/4-inch rounds. Toss them with 1/4 cup olive oil and some salt and pepper. Grill them until marks have formed and they are soft, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place them onto a paper towel lined platter. Scatter over 2 cloves of sliced garlic, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the lemon juice, put on a few torn basil leaves, and season it all with salt and pepper. Set aside while you make the sauce.
- Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. Cook the onions until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chile, garlic, olives and a few hand-torn basil leaves. Carefully add the tomatoes and a pinch of sugar; cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. Add the capers, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the spaghetti. Stir to make sure the pasta doesn't stick. Cover and return to a boil. Remove cover and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until the spaghetti is al dente. Drain and add the spaghetti to the tomato sauce. Add the cheese and mix well. Pile onto a platter and top it with the eggplant slices. Garnish with more basil leaves.
SICILIAN PENNE WITH SWORDFISH AND EGGPLANT
Provided by Giada De Laurentiis
Categories main-dish
Time 30m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
- Meanwhile, place a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 1/3 cup olive oil, garlic, red chili flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the eggplant from the pan and set aside. Season the swordfish cubes with salt and pepper.
- Using the same pan, over medium-high heat, add the 2 remaining tablespoons of olive oil and cook the swordfish until opaque, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the tomatoes, eggplant, cooked pasta, the remaining 1/3 cup parsley and stir. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
SICILIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT
Another recipe from my Woman's Day cookbook. No meat in this recipe -- it combines the chopped eggplant with golden raisins, pine nuts and parmesan cheese. Sounds delicious!
Provided by DailyInspiration
Categories Lunch/Snacks
Time 1h25m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Halve the eggplants lengthwise. Run a small sharp knife 1/2 inch in from the edges of the cut side of each eggplant. Scoop out the insides of the eggplants with a spoon and reserve, leaving 1/2 inch thick shells. Sprinkle 1 teaspoons salt into the eggplant shells and invert on paper towels while preparing the filling.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make the filling: Coarsely chop the reserved eggplant. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and chopped eggplant and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients with the remaining salt. Place the eggplant shells, cut side up, in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Mound the filling in each shell. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoons of oil. Pour water into the pan to a depth of 1/2 inch. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the edges of the eggplant are tender and the bread crumbs are very lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.
SICILIAN EGGPLANT CAVIAR
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories appetizer
Time 1h30m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prick eggplants all over with a fork, then place on a sheet pan. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, and scoop out meat into a saucepan. Simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated and eggplant is dry, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper, and saute one minute. Add anchovies and olives, and saute another minute, stirring continuously. Add tomatoes, and cook a minute more. Add eggplant, and cook two minutes. Add cheese, croutons and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in mint and parsley until well combined. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 179, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams, Carbohydrate 16 grams, Fat 11 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 7 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 594 milligrams, Sugar 8 grams, TransFat 0 grams
SICILIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT
This recipe is really delicious as a side or as a vegetarian entree. Recipe is from Woman's Day.
Provided by Daily Inspiration S
Categories Other Main Dishes
Time 1h30m
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- 1. Halve the eggplants lengthwise. Run a small sharp knife 1/2 inch in from the edges of the cut side of each eggplant. Scoop out the insides of the eggplants with a spoon and reserve, leaving 1/2 inch thick shells. Sprinkle 1 tsp. salt into the eggplant shells and invert on paper towels while preparing the filling.
- 2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Make the filling by coarsely chopping the reserved eggplant. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and chopped eggplant and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients with the remaining salt. Place the eggplant shells, cut side up, in a 13 x9 inch baking dish. Mound the filling in each shell. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp. of oil. Pour water into the pan to a depth of 1/2 inch. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- 3. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the edges of the eggplant are tender and the bread crumbs are very lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.
SICILIAN EGGPLANT ROLLS
Sicilians have hundreds of delicious recipes for eggplant. Here's one of the simplest, and naturally my favorite. The classic combination of simple ingredients is simply delicious. I have served this to my Northern Italian friends. They all love it, especially if served with a glass of Nero d'Avola red, born on the Southern...
Provided by Pierre Ley
Categories Vegetable Appetizers
Time 1h5m
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- 1. Wash and slice up eggplants in 1/2 inch slices. Place in large bowl, make layers with eggplant slices and sprinkle each one with coarse salt. place a weight, e.g. pile of plates, on top. Wait 15 mins for bitter water to come out.
- 2. In the meanwhile, prepare basic tomato sauce: fry the onion, thinly sliced in 5 Tsp extra virgin olive oil, until soft and lightly colored but not brown. Add tomatoes, the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, and cook on low heat for 10 mins. Reserve.
- 3. Prepare bread crumbs mix: in a bowl mix breadcrumbs with Parmigiano,chopped parsley and chopped garlic. Add 4 Tsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
- 4. Scrape salt off each slice, brush with olive oil and grill on hot cast-iron griddle for one and a half / two minutes on each side / or until slightly soft and nice grill pattern appears on surface
- 5. Preheat oven on gas mark 6, and prepare rolls: place some ham, a piece of provola and some breadcrumbs mix on each eggplant slice, and form rolls. Secure rolls with toothpick. Keep some breadcrumbs for the garnish.
- 6. Grease a baking tin with some olive oil, place eggplant rolls side by side. Pour tomato sauce and garnish with the remaining breadcrumbs. sprinkle with remaining olive oil. Cook in the oven for about 25 mins. Before serving, remove toothpicks and allow to cool for a couple of mins. Can be eaten hot or at room temperature. Watch a video of how I prepare this dish by clicking on the "video" icon underneath the picture on this page.
Tips:
- Choose the right eggplant: Look for eggplants that are firm and have a deep purple color. Avoid eggplants that are bruised or have blemishes.
- Slice the eggplant evenly: This will help them cook evenly. If you are using a mandoline, be sure to use the safety guard.
- Salt the eggplant slices: This will help to draw out the moisture and prevent them from becoming bitter.
- Fry the eggplant in hot oil: This will help to create a crispy crust. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan, or the eggplant will steam instead of fry.
- Use a good quality tomato sauce: This is the base of the dish, so it's important to use a sauce that you like. You can use a homemade sauce or a store-bought sauce.
- Layer the eggplant and sauce in a baking dish: Be sure to start and end with a layer of sauce.
- Bake the eggplant parmesan until it is bubbly and golden brown: This will take about 20-30 minutes.
- Let the eggplant parmesan cool slightly before serving: This will help it to set and make it easier to slice.
Conclusion:
Sicilian eggplant is a delicious and versatile dish that can be served as an appetizer, main course, or side dish. It is a great way to use up leftover eggplant, and it is also a good source of vitamins and minerals. If you are looking for a new and exciting way to cook eggplant, give Sicilian eggplant a try. You won't be disappointed!
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