Eggplant And Mushroom Tahcheen Food

EGGPLANT AND MUSHROOM TAHCHEEN

Steps:

• Pre-heat your grill to medium-high.
• Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear, then leave to soak in a large bowl of water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. (Don't worry about the large amount of salt here, the rice has a very short time to absorb the water and the final result won't be too salty.) Add the rice and cook for 4-5 minutes over a medium heat. Taste to test; the rice should be soft on the outside but still hard and firm in the middle. Drain, then rinse with tepid water to stop it cooking any further and set aside.
• Make a saffron liquid by using a pestle and mortar to grind the saffron strands with a pinch of sugar and then add the boiled water. Leave to steep.
• Drizzle the eggplant slices with some sunflower oil and season generously with salt. Grill for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the eggplants are cooked through.
• Meanwhile, make the rest of your filling. Heat 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil with 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saucepan and fry the onion for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan along with the turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
• Lightly toast the cumin seeds in a small pan for a minute and then crush them with a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder, and add them too. Cook until the mushrooms are soft and then take off the heat.
• Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the yogurt, saffron liquid, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Fold the rice in until it is evenly coated with the yogurt and saffron.
• Rub 1 tablespoon butter over the base and sides of a 10-cup ovenproof glass dish. Spoon half of the rice into the dish and press it down evenly. Add a layer of eggplants and mushrooms and finish with a final layer of rice.
• Dot with the remaining butter, cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake for 1 1/2-2 hours or until the base of the tahcheen is crisp and golden brown.
• When the tahcheen is ready, remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly while you make your topping. Melt the butter in a small frying pan and fry the barberries, pistachios, and sugar for 2 minutes until the sugar has melted and the dried fruit has plumped up.
• To serve, run a butter knife around the sides of the tahcheen to separate it from the dish. Place a large board over the top and quickly invert the whole thing. Garnish with a sprinkling of the barberry and pistachio topping.

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• For the tomato sauce: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions become translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar and the canned tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break up some of the whole tomatoes and cook 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring from time to time. Taste for seasoning, the tomatoes should be fairly broken down and the flavors coming together. Cook for another few minutes if the tomatoes still taste like they need a little more time to break down. Set aside to cool.
• For the eggplant (this step is optional, leave it out if you have limited time): Arrange the eggplant rounds in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt on both sides of each slice and allow it to sit for about 1 hour. Salting it draws out the liquid and bitter flavor. After an hour, rinse with cold water and dry them thoroughly with a kitchen towel.
• Put the flour in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the oregano and fresh thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Dip each eggplant slice in the flour and shake off any excess. Then, dip in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Make sure to coat both sides of each slice of eggplant. Arrange them in single layers on the baking sheets.
• In a large skillet, pour enough oil to accumulate about 1/2-inch in the bottom. Heat the oil until it begins to smoke lightly (alternatively, test with a thermometer and wait until the oil registers between 380 degrees F and 400 degrees F). Use a pair of kitchen tongs to add a single layer of the eggplant to the pan. Cook them until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil and transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a kitchen towel so the eggplant can drain as the others cook. Season lightly with salt. Take care to reheat the oil back up to temperature before adding another batch of slices to the pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To assemble: In a 9 by 13-inch flameproof baking dish, spoon about 1/4 of the tomato sauce on the bottom. Top with a layer of the fried eggplant; the eggplant slices can overlap slightly. Top with about 1/3 of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with about 1/4 of the Parmesan and provolone cheeses. Top with a layer of torn basil leaves. Spoon sauce and repeat the layering 2 more times to make 3 layers. End with the remaining mozzarella. Carefully press the layers down firmly into the dish once assembled. Place the dish in the top part of the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. For extra browning, put the dish under the broiler for a minute or two just before serving to get an extra brown cheesy top. I always nibble on a bit of that before sharing it with my friends!

BRAISED EGGPLANT, PORK AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Trim off the stem ends from the eggplant. If using Asian eggplant, slice into 2-inch lengths, and then cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. If using globe eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes. In a small bowl, mix the wine, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, pepper and 2/3 cup of water.
• Place a wok or a large frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, after about 1 minute, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and rotate the pan to spread. Add the pork, and stir-fry until it has broken into small chunks and is lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, garlic, chilies and eggplant; stir-fry until the eggplant begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. 3. Add the water mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is soft when pressed, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, and remove from the heat. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with cilantro. Note: Slender Chinese or Japanese eggplants hold their shape better and are less seedy than larger, more common globe eggplants.

MUSHROOM STUFFED EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Halve the eggplant lengthwise. With a serrated spoon or a knife, scoop out pulp of eggplant, leaving about a 1/2" shell.
• Place shells on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake in oven for about 10-12 minutes.
• While eggplant shells are in oven, finely chop the eggplant pulp.
• In a pan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add eggplant pulp, onion, parsley, salt, oregano, garlic and mushrooms. Cover and sauté, stirring occasionally, until eggplant pulp and mushroom are tender -- about 10 minutes or so.
• Stir in parmesan cheese and HALF of the breadcrumbs.
• Turn oven down to 350°F Remove eggplant shells.
• Spoon mixture into eggplant shells.
• Mix remaining half of breadcrumbs with melted butter. Sprinkle over filled eggplant.
• Place filled eggplant shells back in the oven bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Layer half each of the eggplant and mushrooms in 13x9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray; cover with layers of 1/3 each of the Parmesan and mozzarella. Repeat layers.
• Top with pasta sauce; cover.
• Bake 35 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

BAKED EGGPLANT WITH MUSHROOM-TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Salt eggplant slices and place in colander on top of a plate. After 30 minutes, rinse eggplant thoroughly and pat down with paper towels.
• Preheat broiler.
• Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add onion and next 6 ingredients (onion through mushrooms). Cover and cook 7 minutes or until tender, stirring mixture occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high; uncover and cook for 2-4 minutes or until liquid evaporates.
• Spread half of mushroom mixture in bottom of a 1 1/2-quart round baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half of eggplant slices over mushroom mixture; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Top with 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/3 cup mozzarella. Spread remaining mushroom mixture over mozzarella; top with remaining eggplant slices. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon pepper; top with remaining tomato sauce. Cover and bake at 375° for 1 hour. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Place eggplant, zucchini, onion and mushrooms in a 2 quart casserole dish. In a small bowl combine the tomato paste with the water, and stir in garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables and mix well.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until eggplant is tender, stirring occasionally. Add water as necessary if vegetables begin to stick; however, vegetables should be fairly dry, with slightly browned edges.

EGGPLANT WITH MUSHROOM STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8-inch square baking dish.
• Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving shells about 1/4 inch thick. Chop pulp and place into a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let eggplant pulp drip for 30 minutes. Blot moisture from eggplant pulp with a paper towel.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir eggplant pulp and onion in the hot butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir bread crumbs, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, and black pepper into the eggplant mixture until thoroughly combined. Spoon the mixture into eggplant shells.
• Bake in the preheated oven until eggplant shells are tender, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with Swiss cheese, return to oven, and bake until cheese has melted, about 5 more minutes.